Swift River above the world so high

Evening; could potentially be an RE thread as well

Gone Tomorrow

A crisp night breeze swept the ruff of Corinna's neck, the sensation cool and welcome. She had taken leave of her cubs once again, though this time she had strayed not farther than a few meters. All she had wanted was a breath of fresh air, having returned her young ones back into the den to sleep after a long day. Their introduction to the rest of the pack had gone quite well, and she was glad to see that the rest of the pack was as taken with them as she was. Of course, now that she had let them go out once, they would forever be pushing the boundary that had kept them confined for their first month of light. It was a necessary part of their upbringing (Corinna would go insane if she kept them confined forever), but with it brought a whole new set of fears and concerns. Green eyes staring into the dark, she looked into the shadows, just wondering what monsters lurked there to gobble up her curious and vulnerable cubs.

It was unfortunate that the mother could not be everywhere at once, to keep an eye on her newborns as well as the rest of the pack. That was what she felt the most out of touch with - the rest of the wolves who relied on her to keep them safe and guide them in the midst of trouble. She had no idea what their standing was with the Poison Path pack, but just thinking about her defenseless cubs snuggled up in the den behind her made Cori's hair stand on end. If they had thought her mad and raving before, they would find her downright lethal if they trespassed now that she had given birth. But nobody had mentioned it, so presumably everything had settled down. Naira's pregnancy would no doubt keep the Poison wolves where they belonged, just as it kept the River wolves close to home.

Slipping down onto her stomach, the she-wolf stretched her forepaws forward, digging her nails into the dirt in contentment. With a huff, she rolled over onto her side, belly exposed in the direction of the den. Though very much alert, Cori allowed herself a few moments of darkness and closed her eyes, simply enjoying this rare moment of solitude.

(This post was last modified: Jul 04, 2012, 01:47 AM by Corinna.)

Sleep was perhaps the last thing on the young boy's mind as much as his mother maybe wished it otherwise. Today Tor had met the pack, they clung to his fur now as much as they did his father's and the thought of having to return to this den for what he presumed would be indefinitely was just torture. Though he had done was he had been told (admittedly, perhaps, under slight protest) as he lay in the depths of the den, his sister's warm breaths ruffling his fur, sleep was most definitely far from his mind.

With a crawl far less stealthy than he imagined it to be and a slow step far louder than he intended it the young boy determinedly made his way forward until he reached the mystery-no-more hole that had earlier awarded him his freedom. For a brief moment, his chest heaving slightly from a combination the tiring trek and excitement, he hesitated on the precipice of the den's entrance as his recently opened baby blues drifted searchingly around the territory. There was no one in sight that his still weak eyes could make out in the darkness, and while the scent of his mother was fresh in his mind if she was not in sight she was not nearby so, therefore, according to his logic he was free.

A high-pitched yowl of pleasure and excitement escaped him as he darted forward with about as much grace and speed as a potato and headed into the darkness beyond.

(This post was last modified: Jun 25, 2012, 11:06 PM by Torrel.)

Gone Tomorrow

Had she been thinking about it, Corinna would have started counting how many minutes went by before one of her young ones tried to flee. The mother had seen the look of excitement and wonder on their faces as they had emerged into the world, the world they knew rapidly expanded. And while she had thought them to be asleep when she had left them, she knew far too well their habits to be surprised at the sudden sound of footfalls. Lifting her head off the ground, the she-wolf opened her eyes to the world, quickly coming to rest on the dark hole. Unable to see much of anything that lay within, Cori wondered which one of her cubs was going to be the makebate tonight.

The high pitched yowl gave Corinna her answer, and with a grin, she watched the only male of her second litter plunge into the darkness. He had not even begun to grow into himself yet, and she couldn't help but chuckle quietly at his progress. Hoisting herself up, the River leader padded silently after the young boy, her own stealth far superior to his. A quick sniff of the air told her that they were alone, minus his supposedly sleeping sisters inside the den, which meant that her guard was not as heightened as it was. Content to let him roam, she padded along off to his side, holding him in her gaze and ready to come to his defense, or steer him back, should he decide to go beyond the protective border of trees that separated the den site from the rest of the territory.

Unlike before, Torrel was ready for the scents that hit him this time—and while his nose twitched and itched a sneeze did not escape him and bring him resting abruptly upon his rump, dazed expression on his face, like before. Deeply, with a almost delirious fervour, he drew the scents into his nose and held them in his nostrils as he digested them as well as he was able. Most of them were unfamiliar, foreign, new and the very idea of what they could possibly belong too set his tail waving behind him with enthusiasm. Yet, in his eagerness, the boy over done it and with a deep 'humpf' and puff of air the treasured scents left him suddenly and he shook his head in surprise as he fell down.

It took only a few seconds for the sturdy boy to recover and with a quick shake he rose once more to his rather precarious perch on top of his chubby legs and oversized paws as his large ears twitched with impressive rigour at the sounds surrounding them. He was alone for the first time (he thought) and the very suddenness of the idea, the shock of suddenly being out here, in the dark, with no one, caused a distressed, long whine to escape him. When you were in company being alone felt all well and good—exciting even—but the reality of it, Torrel had found, was that it was terrifying. His wiry tail immediately disappeared between his legs and his ears slicked back to rest upon his skull as his long, breathy whine turned into sharp, erratic yips as he catapulted himself towards the deeper shadows of the trees in his fear.

Some PP here, but I can change it and have her do something else if you'd like.

Gone Tomorrow

His mother's eyes never left him, watching his progress with a mixture of pride and fear. He stumbled several times, and always she was about to reach out and grab him, to ease his fall. But each time he managed to climb back to his overly large paws that he would one day grow into, and Corinna remained still. This was a learning moment for him, and she could not interfere, even as much as she wanted to.

That was, until he unexpectedly began to dart further into the trees, seemingly all excitement gone from him. Abandoning her position of stealth, Corinna tore after him, catching up with the cub after only a few yards. Lowering her head as she ran up on him, she caught him by the scruff of the neck and hoisted him up, her worry that he would stray too far having rapidly become a realization. But the young cub was safe now, and hopefully soothed rather than frightened by the sudden appearance of his mother. Turning tail, Cori carried the cub back towards the den, setting him down on his rump near the entrance, though not back inside. Licking his forehead and ears, she nuzzled his head, offering her comfort. "You're safe, Tor. I never left you," she whispered, wanting to reassure him that whatever it was that had frightened him (for she hadn't scented anything) was not match for her presence there.

Fear was fleeting, especially with cubs, and it seemed to disappear as quickly as it appeared, so while the terror of being grabbed caused 'Rell to scrabble wildly in the air for a moment, when he felt his mother's warm breath on his spine and smelt her familiar scent he immediately fell limp in her jaws and allowed himself to be comforted. With frustration he noted how much quicker he reached the den again compared to when he tried to leave it but the upset grumble in him was quick to be silenced when he realised he was placed outside the den rather than in it. Before he had time to react he felt his mother's tongue wash over his skull, between his ears, and a contented rumbling began to escape him as he rose back to his wobbly stance to tangle himself tightly between the leader's forelegs.

It didn't take long, minutes even, for the curiosity that only a cub could have to strike and with his previous terror soon forgotten Torrel turned to scan his surroundings excitedly with his weakened eyes, still blue at the moment with the immaturity. Again, his own limits frustrated him and he expressed it with a rather pathetic growl as he longed for the light he had experienced earlier so that he could see again. Perhaps, for now, exploring would have to wait. His attention returned back to his mother's milky scent and warmth so, mewling to her delicately, he reclined precariously onto his forelegs and stretched up to excitedly cover her chin in loving, slobbery licks.

Gone Tomorrow

As soon as her jaws clasped tight around the loose skin of his neck, Torrel began to squirm violently. If he had not been frightened before, no doubt being hoisted into the air would have caught him off guard. But her son quickly realized who it was that had him and settled instantly. She caught the growls of complaint as her young son seemed to realize where they were headed, but as before, when her intentions became clear, he settled down. With her there, it seemed that his curiosity returned as well, and without much hesitation, he was soon back up on his feet. Chuckling, she watched him survey the darkness, wondering just how much he was able to see. He had only seen the world in the daylight, and truth was, Cori wasn't even sure if her son fully understood the concept of night and day. In the morning, he would see - both metaphorically and literally.

Keeping her head low, Corinna allowed her son to lick her chin, pleased at his contentment. Crooning in her throat, the older wolf wagged her tail, stirring the grass behind her. Falling down onto her stomach once more, green eyes met the blue ones of her cub. She knew they would eventually change, no doubt to match Indru's fiery ones, but for now, she would enjoy their beautiful and rare color. "Why couldn't you sleep, son?" She urged him after a moment. No doubt the morning would spark a whole new round of curiosity, and it would be all she could do to keep up with three cubs (who, just to make it harder on her, would go exploring in different directions). But staying up late would not help Torrel in his ambition to explore. The time would come when a few hours of sleep would be sufficient for him to survive the long day and longer night, but not yet.

The young boy crooned with contentment as his mother dropped down to her belly and without hesitation he bumbled over towards her, playful grumbles and growls escaping him as he tried to ineffectively chew at her paws. The darkness held little interest for him at the moment, as limiting as it was (for what was the benefit of smelling new things if you can't see what they are?), and instead his mother was the subject of his adoration.

A question broke the silence and 'Rell paused for a moment on his back, his paws frozen from where they had been flailing towards Cori's muzzle, and his ears twitched as he digested the question. Schleeeeep, he cooed back, a small smile curling his muzzle as he gazed at her, enjoying the feeling of the word. No, he decided with a wrinkled brow and his head shook furiously at the thought. The answer didn't tell her much more than she already knew but Torrel didn't know how else to express it and quickly he forgot to worry about it.

Mmf..—Da'ah? The boy's tone had turned curious and his head slid to the side as he inquired about the one major missing wolf in his life. He knew his sisters were inside the den, and he gargled happily in his throat as he confirmed that he knew where his mother was—above him, but he didn't know where the largest of the two were. As he waited for an answer Tor, nestled between his mother's forearms and still on his back, tried to bat encouragingly at her muzzle.

(This post was last modified: Jun 30, 2012, 11:57 PM by Indru.)

Gone Tomorrow

Torrel's underdeveloped words caressed his mother's ears, and she couldn't help but grin. They would grow out of that relatively quickly, especially now that they could hear the rest of the pack speak and converse with one another. But for now, she would take advantage of the adorable, broken syllables. "Fine," she cooed back, grabbing one of his suspended tiny paws and very gently shaking it in her mouth. "No sleep." For now anyway. Releasing his little paw from her grip, Cori listened happily to his immature gargles and yips. Sparing a moment, she tore her eyes away from her son and checked up on the den, to see if either of his sisters had decided they too wanted to forgo sleep. But all remained quiet on that front, and satisfied that her small family was safe and secure, Corinna returned her attention to Torrel, who's mind had rapidly shifted places.

Batting at her face with his tiny paws, the mother picked up on his question, though the word was very convoluted in his puppy speak. "Daad," she cooed, trying to enunciate the word for him. Cori wasn't entirely sure where Indru was, but his dominating scent was not all that far off. Ever watchful, she was sure her mate was either patrolling or getting his own well-deserved rest. "Sleeping," her tone was teasing, and she lowered her head and tickled his stomach with her nose.

Finished with that, the she-wolf carefully maneuvered her forelegs from around Torrel, so that she could fall onto her back beside him. Looking up, she took in the clear patch of sky above their heads, only partly obscured by the tree branches above. Using her paw to point, she indicated the twinkling masses above them. "Stars." An explanation of what they were would come later, but for now, all he needed to know was the name. Besides, it was a whole other thing for him to turn his curiosity onto.

His mother's teeth clasped gently on one of his paws and Torrel grumbled back with a mischievous grin, flashing his teeth in a way that was clearly incredibly threatening. While her first word of concession had passed by Torrel's ears, it was when she muttered 'no sleep' back did he realise his success, and a high yip of pleasure escaped him as he stretched upwards to her chin, his salmon pink tongue lapping ineffectively at the air as he struggled to reach her.

The young cub's brow wrinkled in concentration as he picked up the correction, Daaa'ah? He repeated as best as he was able, though there was question in his tone as his head swivelled to the side to consider the word. Her response though was far from satisfying and he huffed lightly to show so, everyone slept in the den, didn't they? And there had been no Dad there. Torrel's annoyance was soon forgotten though as he felt his mother's nose drop to his belly and a loud giggle burst from him as his teeth flashed in an appeasing grin as he batted his paws at her face and tried to nip and bite playfully at her muzzle with his razor sharp teeth amid yowls and grumbles.

Suddenly he felt his mother move and his blue eyes flashed open as he watched her, a small whine expressing his curiosity (and somewhat dislike) at the end of their play. She lay beside him now and Tor's head fell to the side to watch her adoringly, and it was only when she pointed and a unfamiliar word escaped her mouth that he pulled his gaze away to shift to the Dark above them. Sssthars! Par the excessive emphasis on the 'Sss' the word was fairly close and Torrel grinned happily as he continued to peer at the white dots above him. Dens? He inquired from her, recognising a familiarity with these (albeit far away) dots of light to the entrance of his den when it was Light. Perhaps there were more cubs like him there!

(This post was last modified: Jul 03, 2012, 11:47 AM by Torrel.)