Sacred Grove Empire of Dreams

Aiyana Tainn

I walk upon the river

It was a warm night, warmer than they had been for a while now - the days were much the same, but gradually the nights had gone colder. She didn't understand why, so tonight's return to normalcy was much appreciated by the little black bundle. The girl was growing rapidly, but was small yet. A blanket of clouds covered the vast sky, darkening the world further. Aiyana usually enjoyed the night when it was unveiled, stars dotting the deep blue canvas and the night-moon glowing softly, but she'd since long realized that no matter how hard she wished, the weather did what it wanted. She'd even tried to command it once, but it had refused to obey, and so she'd shrugged and given up. After all, no other wolf of her pack had control of it - and they never even tried, so it had to be the norm, then. The realization had come with a sinking feeling in her chest, though. Aiyana would very much have liked to be able to call upon storms at will, or blow away the cover of clouds with a breath. She blinked in the darkness. The weather was its own master, just as she was hers (most of the time). Warily she glanced over her shoulder, at her black, bushy tail. It was lying peacefully in the grass now, deceptive in its calm.

She wasn't fooled.

It had a way of doing what it wanted, waving about madly when she was happy, or tripping her up when she tried to run or jump around. Owlishly she blinked again, drinking in the night. Her friend Wind blew through the trees and grasses, rustling them, stirring them into a faint song, to which her ears twitched and swirled. Somewhere, a bird took flight, wings beating against the air, and a falcon screeched in the distance. Faint sounds from the River drifted in around her, the whisper of water over and around rocks; the night smelled faintly of water, sweet and refreshing. Slowly, Aiyana came to her feet, standing precariously upon too-large paws. She liked it when it was like this - dark, silent, yet so alive, should you just stop and listen for a while. In her chest, her heart kept beating, in rhythm with the world; behind her, the dark face of the den loomed. She had no intention of going in. Instead, she slowly ambled along towards the sound of water. Grass stroked her belly, moss cushioned her paws. She could see moths, their pale forms like ghosts, dancing through the air; the wind touched her again, bringing the alluring scents of the Large Out There - scents which she did not know, yet craved to see, to touch, to store in the library of her mind. With ever sense straining to catch every ounce of the night, to hold it all and know it all, she kept making her slow way towards the water.

Tonight was a night for dreams and quiet beauty.

like it's easier than land

Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill

for anyone who wants to meet the dreamer princess <3

Wide, awkward puppy paws bumbled over the darkening grass. The blue-eyed bundle watched the odd transformation of color as she moved. It was green, and as she moved past it, it got darker, then light again. Occasionally the girl tripped over herself looking over her shoulder to watch, and eventually she gave up when the colors stopped changing. The night had finally caught up with her. She'd been wandering rather absently, probably half-following the scent of her sister, Aiyana. Tracking wasn't really her forte, yet, but she knew her littermate when she smelled her and could probably find most of her family, provided she was lucky enough to catch the scent.

But now that it was dark, Rissa wondered if she'd be able to see Aiyana. She hummed to herself, head tilting back to now observe the star-speckled sky. How lovely. Too bad they didn't give much light to the ground. They seemed awfully bright up there. Head coming level, her nose twitched. She could smell her, but couldn't see her. Perhaps that was because she wasn't quite close enough yet. But Rissa had decided that she'd gone quite far enough. "Aiyana!" Rissa barked into the darkness, her youthful voice booming. Any echo was eaten up by the sound of resting birds taking off, and the consequent rustling of branches. Perhaps that would help her find her sister.

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Aiyana Tainn

I walk upon the river

Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware of her sister following her, the paler pup navigating the world on the same type of disproportionally large paws, but her presence was not actively noted within Aiyana's curious mind. She was too busy drinking in the moist, sweet smell of night, too busy watching the flutter of moths, too busy listening to the wind... It rustled through the trees, toying with her downy fur and tickling her ears and whiskers. Quietly she giggled, stumbling across a root she hadn't seen. She caught herself without harm, but paused to bend her head down and sniff the thing. Something in her mind told her it was familiar, so she let it be. She'd probably sniffed it at some other point in time, just forgotten about it. At first, it had distressed her when she'd forgotten things - when days slipped out of memory, or she couldn't recall exactly everything she'd been doing or thinking three days ago.. but time had tempered that distress, and instead she'd found comfort in the vague knowing if something was familiar or not. While she couldn't dredge up the actual memory of sniffing this root, she knew she had, and she was satisfied with that. It needed no further investigation, and she was just about to continue her placid trek towards the slow-moving branch of river that crossed close to their den when Rissa's voice cut through her concentration. Aiyana frowned, and carefully turned around, trying to not let her stupid tail trip her up. She hadn't been aware of her sister being in the vicinage, but now she definitely was.

Even without the guiding light of moon and stars, for they were still swept away behind the blanket of clouds, it was easy to pick out Rissa in the darkness. She was tawny in daylight, but at night she seemed a lot more gray, with hints of silver here and there. Father and Mother looked the same, as well as her brothers and sisters. The only one who always was silver was Ice, and then there was dark Triell and red Marsh. She was learning their names, their voices and scents, their faces; some she met more than others, but so far she trusted them all. "Ris!" she cried out. For the longest time, she'd called both Rihael and Rissa Ri, until she realized that it was horribly confusing to everyone, including herself. Since the difference between Ri and Rih, with a shorter i, was very minor, she'd decided to stick an s onto her sister's name. It worked well enough, and she was so used to it by now that it didn't annoy her anymore. What did annoy her slightly was how Rissa seemed to just stand there, gawking in the darkness. If she wanted her attention, why wasn't she coming over? Did Aiyana have to do everything around here?

She puppy-growled under her breath and returned the way she'd come, carefully stepping over the familiar root. Without a rugged, semi-irritated look she showed up, coming out from the deeper shadows and, with a glower, thrust her dark face into Rissa's, hoping to startle her. But instead of asking what? out loud, she just glared. Aiyana had a bit of a temper when people were being, in her eyes, stupid. And right now Rissa was being stupid. Plus, Rissa was her sister, and as of late, Aiyana had found a rather dominant drive in herself, and the desire to come out on top of every scuffle.. so that probably didn't help improve her mood either.

like it's easier than land

Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill

If I go crazy then will you stillcall me superman?

The night was his as it often was. There were not a lot of other River wolves out and about, and he stayed clear of the lands that the loners wandered through. He saw no one except the other creatures of the dark, and he preferred it that way. The night may be alive, but it was much more calm and serene than the day. It was easy to let thoughts slip, questions come, and have musings that made no sense or held any importance. He could do so without worrying to much of prying, judging eyes. Though he doubted anyone looked down on him, sometimes he was certain he saw the question in their gazes wishing to ask of him. Triell had decided he had enough confidants, and needed no more. He really did not need to know anyone better. Naira had prove they all come and go too quickly for him to care more into anything. A sigh of nothing more than knowing he had long hours ahead he continued his patrol of the Grove.

The guardian stalked like a lonely prowler, scenting the air every so often for others. There were brief scents of beavers coming here and there to get logs for their home. There was a doe somewhere with a fawn weaving their way through the sacred grounds, but he continued on his invisible line leaving them be. He kept his fast walk he came across the trails of his pack mates, and gave them a slight huff. He was not sure where they went, and was often worried what they did beyond their home. Making enemies or making friends. Shoulders roll and he lets his weight fall to his hind legs, his yellow eyes staring upward to collection of stars. It feels him with sadness to stare, because he is still alone beneath them remembering her. A dark smile twitching on his facade he swiftly collects a trot, feeling this night would be dead.

Calls of the winged predators his ears sweep upward, and he turns his head. Another orchestra of more frightened birds triggers him to investigate. Something has woken them, and something was out there. He did not like how close it sounded to the vicinage of the den and the pups. A little quicker he trotted, being mindful of the traps of the ground, it was about then he found them; two little girls out of bed.

"Rissa, Aiyana,"he greeted, eyes flickering between his nieces, the question evident in both gaze and voice.

(This post was last modified: Aug 09, 2012, 09:41 PM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>wow my posts are so tiny...</span>

Rissa tried her darndest to focus in the darkness. Why did everything seem to move when it was pitch black? Her murky eyes narrowed, distracted by things there were either birds or bats, and even the twitching of a branch caused her nose to point skyward. Her hasty glances weren't driven by fear, rather by curiosity. If it wasn't for the nagging reminder that she was here to find Aiyana, then she probably would have scampered off to see all the odd moving black things. Big round ears twisted at another swishing sound, and she lowered her head, staring straight into the darkness again. That must be--

And it was. Rissa's own name was called out to her, and her tail began to wag. Mission accomplished. Her hindquarters lifted off from the grass, and her thin tail curled happily over her back. The celebration was cut short by the faintest trace of a growl. Was that her sister? Oh no she didn't. Rissa glowered as she sensed movement ahead of her, and dropped to her thick, fluffy haunches again. She hadn't expected Aiyana to make such an entrance though, and gave a snort of surprise as a nose was shoved into her face. However, the child didn't flinch, and her sullen expression remained. She gave her own little growl, eyes narrowing into dangerous (though, to a larger being, hardly threatening) slits, "Bring it, sister." Standing up again, she leaned forward towards Aiyana, her round black nose aiming right between her sister's eyes. There was no intention to harm, but merely to do the same thing that Aiyana had done a moment ago. Though Rissa thought that her's would be more effective.

She was just about there, too, when a familiar voice rose from the shadows. "Tree!" She squeaked, head turning sharply. "I came to find Aiyana, 'fore she got losts. And I founds her." The tawny pup shot a quick narrowed glance at her sister, before continuing. "Buts, Aiyana don't appreciate my helps." It was quite obvious from the way she was speaking that every word of it was false. In fact, Rissa had been looking forward to some kind of adventure with Aiyana before Rissa got a nose to the face. It was war.

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Don't worry about it Bryony <3

Aiyana Tainn

I walk upon the river

It didn't have quite the desired effect. Rissa didn't topple, nor run screaming towards the den, but just glared right back with her murky blue eyes. And she had the audacity to growl right back at her! Well, who had been last out of the den, so scared she kept hiding under Mother? Huh? It certainly hadn't been Aiyana Tainn! Her own eyes narrowed too, floppy ears standing erect as her tiny lips curled back into a not-so-frightening snarl. Rissa was just leaning in, no doubt preparing for the paw smack that Aiyana had coming her way, when a voice cut their scuffle short. In surprise she blinked owlishly, turning to the large, handsome black Tainn, uncle Tri. Beside her, Rissa piped up in her usual insolent fashion, spewing so many words that the black girl let her ears flit backwards, disapproval written across her tiny face. She didn't care if someone thought she ought to be in the den, she'd been outside lots at nighttime, because it was much cooler and so different. And.. what? What? Rissa had the guts to indicate that Aiyana might get lost? And that she'd been doing something good in, what, finding her? This was intolerable! Triell's intervention was forgotten and she crashed headfirst back into the emotions of a few seconds ago.

"Never lost," she snarled for the benefit of Triell. They always talked so much, so she had to tell them with words or they'd think she was prone to getting lost. Aiyana knew this part of the Grove very well, every rock and root and blade of grass. And who was it who had stuck her nose in whose face, eh? It certainly hadn't been Rissa finding her, but the other way around! The high-pitched growl rumbled in her chest again, ratty tail sticking high into the air, stiff for once. The time of peace and declarations of war was over; without further ado, or further warning, Aiyana launched a clumsy assault at Rissa's nearest ear, intending to bite down on it, and quite hard too, with her little puppy milk teeth. And if she got it, well, she wasn't about to let go until her sister gave up, rolled over, and begged for mercy! .. okay, she didn't need to beg, because Aiyana didn't care about words that much, but she definitely needed to submit to her bigger sister. She ruled the litter, and Rissa would learn the price for trying to indicate that she could get lost (ignoring the fact that sometimes she did become uncertain of where she was)!

All is fair in love and war; since this was both love and war, everything was doubly fair, and no quarter would be given.

like it's easier than land

Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill

Rissa huffed, tiny shoulders shuffling. She was quite pleased that Aiyana had missed her shot to do...whatever she was going to do. From the look of those little teeth, it was something probably not good. and now Uncle Tree was here to save the day. Well, save Aiyana. Rissa wouldn't be shaken by her sister, nope. In the child's mind, this was all just a big game. Sometimes the players got a little over-competitive, but in the end, she found it all rather fun. She'd never want Aiyana to actually be mad at her. Unfortunately, Rissa didn't seem all that good at gauging the sheer hilarity of her own jokes, or how competitive she got.

Dark blue eyes shifted towards Aiyana as she snarled, and Rissa half-frowned. "Lost in the darks. Like Uncle Tree." She tried to explain, attempting to save face. It was a joke. Hahaha? But then she paused, suddenly looking concerned,"What if you turned into the darks?" She whispered, looking from Aiyana to Triell. "Not possible, right Uncle?" Was what she was about to ask, before she was attacked by Aiyana. The moment she felt teeth touch her ear, she tried yanking away, but that only made it hurt more. "Ai!" Rissa snarled, eyes narrowed and watering from the pain running down into her skull. Rissa twisted her head, jaws wide, trying to get her own attack around Aiyana's cheeks while her legs kept moving, forepaws attempting to push Aiyana's chest and neck, trying desperately to somehow free her ear from its pointy cage. Aiyana wouldn't win, she couldn't! She'd have to tear her ear off before Rissa would roll over. At least that's what Rissa hoped. It did hurt pretty bad, but she needed to win.

(This post was last modified: Aug 11, 2012, 02:04 PM by Rissa.)

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They are adorable, and this is priceless xD

If I go crazy then will you stillcall me superman?

Triell was a little slow, and wasn't aware there was a bit of a disagreement going on between them. He was still questioned if Torrel was out here too, and if Indru or Corinna were not far behind. Black banner waved sharply at the happy greeting he was given by Rissa. She explained, his dark brows dipped, peering to Aiyana wondering if she had gotten lost. It was surely very easy, he recalled. The way the tawny pup spoke he knew it was in that certain tone of a white lie. When he peered a little more closer, Aiyana had disagreement written over her face. It took little for her to let her emotions get the best of her, leaking out in words and a snarl Triell did not expect from the dark, little lady. Then again, little girls were not all sweet, Kinis would agree. He couldn't tell if Rissa was scared, or a little worried. She insisted lost again. Aware this would likely set Aiyana off, he went to step in while saying, "Wolves see even better in the dark, but your eyes gotta grow." He thought, maybe that was enough to hold off Aiy, but he was wrong.

Another question broke from Rissa, Aiyana launched herself at her sister. Soon he was seeing a dark little blob, and a tan blob trying to rip at each other. A moment of hesitance, he was afraid if he lifted a paw it would come crushing down, it dawned on him he had to do something rather than watch a fight break out. This...it would have been much easier to break up two adult wolves!

A loud bark, a deep growl rushed between his teeth, and he pushed his way to the fighting siblings. "Aiyana and Rissa Tainn!" He exclaimed, a deep scowl working it's way across his face, he hung his head close to the pair, golden eyes flicker between them. "You let go of each other this instant, or you'll have bigger teeth in your hind ends !" This would be his first, and final warning. He didn't need them inflicting wounds on each other, and they would learn Uncle Triell had every intention of backing up a threat.

(This post was last modified: Aug 17, 2012, 04:32 AM by Triell.)

are you with me through it all?

Aiyana Tainn

I walk upon the river

Whatever her sister tried to say was entirely lost on the black-furred girl. Lost? Like Triell? Triell wasn't lost! At times like this Aiyana thought that Rissa was so silly and annoying, tripping up her meanings with those stupid words and never making sense. If she wasn't so busy trying to talk, she'd maybe have time to think about what she meant and wanted to say, and then she'd have no reason to get teeth in her ears! Not even Triell's comment about seeing in the dark soothed her, for she'd already decided that they needed to fight this out, uncles present or not. With another growl rumbling in her chest she held onto the ear even as Rissa tried to yank it away, heedless to the signs of the pain she was causing her sister. If she didn't want the pain, well, she should just stop fighting back, right? And so, she felt entirely justified in giving her sister a bit of an ear-ache.

She retaliated soon, though, her teeth snapping around in the black fluff on her cheek before nipping her skin once. It elicited only another growl though, and stubbornly she clung to Rissa's ear, even as her jaws found some purchase around the rounded bottom of her face.

And then Triell decided to shout at them. Too busy holding on to her sister, Aiyana didn't process her uncle's words, just fell silent. He looked angry for some reason, but for what she couldn't fathom. She was just beating up her sister! There was nothing wrong with that, was there? They had to know their places, and Aiyana had decided that she'd be the boss. Silent and rather confused-looking, she held on to Rissa's ear and gave Triell a look that said what's wrong? Hadn't he ever beat up his siblings to find out who was the strongest? It felt very natural to Aiyana, and given the number of times she and Rissa, and Torrel, had beaten each other up in scuffles like these... could it be something wrong?

Or had Triell never had any siblings?
The thought of that made Aiyana surprisingly sad - she nearly let go of Rissa's ear at it, but held on just barely, and blinked in confusion. Where had that thought sprung from?

like it's easier than land

Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill

Rissa's jaw, though it had finally found some purchase around Aiyana's cheeks, clenched from the continuing spasms of pain coming from her ear. Of course, this only made her jaws close tighter around whatever space she'd gotten hold of, and she was determined to keep it this way. In fact, she continued to flail, trying to push Aiyana off of her, though it seemed her sister was determined to keep her ear. Fine then! She could have it. And when Rissa had no ear, then that was one less thing for Aiyana to grab onto. She put a bit more force between her paw pummels, though was certain that it would only make Aiyana more upset. At this point though, Rissa was resigned to losing her ear, unaware of how much that would probably hurt (much more than just having teeth in it), and cared very little how hard she pummeled Aiyana as long as she fought back somehow!

But Uncle Triell didn't like this fighting very much, and as he yelled, Rissa froze. Her grip didn't loosen a bit though, but the pummeling paused. Aiyana still had a faint hold of her ear, and in any other situation, Rissa probably would have pulled free. But, admittedly, she was a little afraid to move. Why was he so angry? They were just fighting. Someone had to win, and Rissa was certain that it would be her. He must've fought with his brothers and sisters, right? Though, now that she thought about it, maybe he didn't have any. There were lots of big wolves like Triell around Swift River, but none that really smelled like him, other than Father. But he couldn't be the only one...

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