Jasper Rocks not my brother's keeper

Early afternoon, sunny, warm.The creeks and rivers had swelled from the recent rains. While Taima had found the near-constant downpour to be quite a pain (in which her parents made sure their boundaries were not easily overlooked by dampened noses), realizing that Jasper Rocks had practically doubled or tripled in size made her soul alight. The gently sloping banks have transformed into shallow pools of water and it seemed to readily invite curious pups in with silvery, shiny things that glinted in the sunlight. Without even hesitating, the girl ambled into the water with her jaws wide open. She plunged her head into the water but missed her targeted fish by a mere split-second.She surfaced again and shook out her neck and head in attempt to get the water out of her large ears. The group of metallic prey had retreated but found they were not willing to follow the current further down the river just yet. Taima glanced over to her left, fixated on a shaded spot where a glimmer on the water's surface could have given away her targets' location. She strode forward to test the depth of the water then stood still to check and make sure she wouldn't be swept away. Stories about Prosper's disappearance, how the creek had easily taken him far and away into another wolf pack's territory, had been memorized by heart now, but while she dared to test both Borden and Jaysyek's limits and gull the other adults, she still had the conscience to make sure she didn't do anything too brash as to hurt them or render them absolutely furious with her.Another step brought the water to the middle of her forearm and two more brought it to her elbows. Her tail lifted from the water's surface and wriggled as she found the pool still wadable. A cautious glance over her shoulder revealed that she was still alone and with a careful step she began to move sideways, not wanting to go in deeper or lose the ground beneath her feet. She stretched her neck forward and upward as the water rose to reach her collarbone. It had all been a lost cause however; all her flailing about had drawn the school of fish back to where she had initially encountered them... Her muzzle wrinkled in annoyance and with stiff limbs she started to half-walk, half-swim toward the shore.

(This post was last modified: Jan 02, 2013, 06:46 PM by Taima.)

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The hard rocky ground became soft and muddy. Since he had left the rough mountains the rain welcomed him with cold kisses. It felt like he had dragged pounds of dirt with him, for the first time he felt fresh and clean again. His coat was deep brown again and he could smell the dampy earth beneath his paws. Eden had no idea where he as heading, after meeting the Alpha of Poison Path he kind of guessed many more packs would house in the woods near the mountains. Many scents were camouflaged by the rain, he trusted that the packs would keep their borderlines with strong flags. The brown wolf didn't felt like walking into trouble. It had been a pain to meet the two strangers in the mountains, falling into pack territory was not in his to-do-list. Actually, he didn't even knew what should be on his list. Gonna flee from his home was already checked, he was still alive so what was next? Every step he took he felt a little sting from it's paw. The snake poison should almost be worked out. He had used some medication so no worries about that, it was just a pain to get reminded about his paw every time he walked. Eden didn't regret it, snakemeat was not so bad after all.

The rain had stopped coming down on him. A bit disappointed he watched the more clear sky. Knowing most animals were happy to see the dry weather, he missed the ticking rhythm. His paws moved along the rivers, seemly gotten bigger in size with the rain. The sun broke trough, warming up his cold body. This might not bad either. He shook out his moist fur so it could dry again. The water shimmered soft in the daylight. Maybe he could get something to eat. Now he was in the ''safe-zone'' he could take his time. Less rushing and maybe enjoying the place before moving on to the next. As he followed the moving stream he could smell more wolf. Staying cautions he didn't let his focus slip for a inch. His eyes or nose didn't spot anything near. At least not yet, soon his eyes were attract to a moving animal. It was still way to far to see it clearly, he feared it was a wolf. His guts told him that some God above didn't really liked him. All his effort to avoid his specie was thrown away since he stepped into the Lore. Though, this wolf might be not a adult. It was way too small for that or it was some strange looking fox. His seagreen eyes were glued onto this animal till he could finally see it was just a cub. alert his ears flicked. A cub meant that somewhere around this area there should be his parents. He did not see anyone except the cub wading in the water. Fishing? Eden wondered as he watched the water. He saw the silver backs of the fish swimming like hell away from the cub. Not a great success so to see. He smirked as he went into the water to get wet paws. That cub had not such a bad idea. Filling his belly with some white meat wouldn't hurt.

As he watched the fish he stopped moving, imitating a statue. Fish were kind of curious in a way. Sometimes they moved on his own towards him. This time they were more alert cause the cubs failing attack. With patience he waited, one paw rose out of the water, ready to smash one or three on the muddy ground. Some fished with their mouth, he didn't felt like biting at the water only the fish. In a sudden swing he slashed with his paw in the water. A silver fish flee through the air smacking on the ground. Fast, before the fish would struggle back into the liquid, his paws found the ground and pierced his teeth into the scales. Dropping it for death he watched the river. There were enough to get another one. Forgotten about the cub he went back to the river for a other catch.

Ataraxia at this point had become one of Taima's most prized and favorite waking moments. Without a parent or 'pupsitter' nearby, there was no need to be cautious or mindful of manners or worried that the monster-wolf would return or even too wary of her siblings watching her. If they wanted to join in, there was plenty of room and even a bit of fun to be had with whoever could manage to catch those gleaming, satiny silver things. By the time she had clambered out of the creek a foreign scent registered in her nostrils and her eyes immediately went to where she thought the new bit of information had come to her from. A stark black stranger stood still in the shallows, still and motionless, with his eyes trained on the water.At first she merely stared, then she took a few leaping bounds towards him, watching eagerly and attentively as he practically slapped a paw into the water to send one of her fishes onto the bank. She dropped to her belly and elbows, placing her chin on the ground with a smile. Her tail waved about wildly behind her, even as he stepped back into the water after delivering the minnow a swift demise. Wow! He was quite the 'pro' at this... fishing stuff! Maybe... Maybe he could teach her!A smile spread across her muzzle and touched her eyes as she ventured closer to the edge of the shore where the male was busy 'hunting' for more of the fish. "Kaaaaade!" she blurted, unaware of whether or not the fish would be able to hear her underwater. "Hey Kade!"

(This post was last modified: Jan 02, 2013, 06:47 PM by Taima.)

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Fishing could be a nice fast fetch or a terrible long endurance game. Pure concentration he looked at the white meat animals that could please his stomach. Stable in the slight stream from the river Eden stood on three paws in the water. The brown wolf was unaware of it but in all of this were old memories attached. Memories that would wake him up in his sleep, remember him from his sins. Only this wasn't a memory dyed in black. Learning to fish from his father, playing in the river with his siblings. He loved the water and right now the wolf really was in his element. Less than the Medic section but this was also a favorite of him. One he almost forgot.

Almost, his steel gaze could pin down the fish by itself. The brown paw slashed down as a fierce scream found him off guard. Surprised he looked up, forget his slash and fell into the river. Coughing he shivered for a second. Soaking wet he crawled up from the slippy stones. Where the hell came that from? His green eyes looked around, spotted the cub again. Oh yeah, he forgot the little wolf. Since she wasn't a thread to him without her parents or Guardian he left her alone. He was not any fun for a cub anyway. Way to dull, didn't spoke a word couldn't joke and was too serious. Eden didn't want to bore that little thing to death. Again she called, it seemed to be a name. A bit curious for the reason he fell in the river he looked around. He didn't saw anyone. Sniffing he tried to get the water out of his nose. A bit wary he came back on the solid ground and shook the water out of his fur. 'Who is Kade?' His voice cracked a little, dusty from not using it for a long time. Kade, maybe her friend of family of hers? Better be careful before he got some angry family on his neck.

Her acknowledging shriek sent the dark-pelted man into the river and immediately the girl's brows rose. Taima watched him right himself again, coughing as he eventually stood upon the shore before her. "Sorry! I'm sorry!" she called to him, stifling a giggle. He shook the water from his coat and she mimicked him after having forgotten that her own fur was still soaking wet. She beamed up at him but her mouth dropped with a gasp after he asked a question that was clearly out of place. "Who is Kade?"Her ears dropped to the sides of her head at first as her goldenrod eyes met sea green irises. Kade's eyes, she recalled, were a shocking silver. Not green. She sealed her lips tightly as she thought of how to answer this strange wolf's question. She glared at his coat, his tattered ear, the bulk of his frame... Analyzed how his voice had sounded like something was wrong with it, like it had suffered, or even greatly recovered, from an acute form of cacology... "Who're you?" she retorted, snorting at him as she regained her bearings. Her ears drew forward confidently and her tail rose to arch above her rump. "You're not s'posed to be here."She thought about howling for her parents but opted not to for the time being. This wolf was very different from the one she and Calla had encountered a while ago. Besides, immediate danger didn't seem plausible at this point, not when he merely questioned her instead of running away like Sica had. Her face softened into a look of inquisitiveness as she remembered what had drawn her to him. "Where'd you learn to do that?" She pointed with her nose to the dead fish on the bank then curiously looked back to the rogue's face, now genuinely interested in the knowledge and the answers he possessed. Her tail continued to wag, even as she plunked down in the cool sand. "Are you from here? Are you Kade's friend? You... look like Kade."

(This post was last modified: Jan 02, 2013, 06:47 PM by Taima.)

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Brown fur that was just a little bit dryer than first fell back in place. His greenish eyes watched the cub copying him. She seemed sorry but he could not be sure, it was all to clear she had to giggle. A faint smile showed on his lips. The cub couldn't really do something about it, seeing her try to fish nobody ever had learned her that fish had some good pair of ears. Hidden ears that was. After his question her jaw literally dropped down. A rare snickering came out is muzzle, surprise. Her attitude kind of changed when the girl found out he was not the person she thought he was. Who was that Kade? Her father? Nah, she should not confuse her father with a stranger. Probably someone from her family or pack, that was nowhere to be found. It still bothered him nobody was on the look out for the little one. Not that he was worried or something, but he knew that cubs were quite vulnerable even if they screamed bloody murder they could care for themselves.

The unknown girl seemed to found herself back. After playing ''see the difference'' in her head. She snorted at him but he ignored it. 'Who do you think I am?' He might be playing nasty, but the girl did not answer his question either. Founding confidence, where Eden had no idea but most cubs should be more cautions in the presence of a stranger. Were all cubs like this or was this just simply her personality? If he wanted he could rip her into tiny little pieces, not that he would do that. But it could happen. "You're not s'posed to be here." The wolf tilted his head a bit, looking down on the little wolf even more. He shrugged nonchalant, he knew he was not supposed to be in this area. The chocolate wolf was not supposed to be anywhere. Just a wandering soul. 'So you mean you can be here? Without-' Once again his eyes averted at his surroundings, making sure there was indeed nobody hiding to jump on his back. '- any adults?' If so her parents were really careless with their young but he couldn't imagine such a pair.

Maybe he should go.. He didn't want to scare the cub, everything except that. Going before he would get into trouble. Not seeing how the girl softened her expression he thought of a excuse to go away. Being stalked by a cub was even worse. 'Hmm?' His not tattered ear flicked forward. Ow, she meant fishing. 'Learned it from my dad.' He said a bit mumbling, more to himself than to her. In the corner of his eye the grayish brown cub sat down in the sand. Surprised he watched her sit. So he was no danger for her? A bit doubting he lie down too, so he could be in eye reach for her. Seeking for a comfortable pose he moved the sand under his belly a bit before he was satisfied. Again she began about the Kade. Saying he looked like him. Eden looked at the water, so somewhere around here was his doppelganger? Snickering he watched himself. That was a interesting idea, he had to meet that Kade. Look for himself if they indeed looked alike or if it was just cub fantasy. 'I'm from far away. I just came here some days ago, so I don't know your Kade.' Strange, he felt so relaxed in the being of the cub. He didn't even got irritated by the fact he had to socialize. It was so strange that it even shocked him a little. Was he always like that with cubs? He didn't know their pack didn't have any youngsters after them. 'If a wolf is white does not mean every white wolf is the same.' He explained simply, most of the time you could hear or smell the difference. It could not be they even sounded alike, could it?

The stranger shrugged and she merely continued to gape at him, to drink him up with her eyes. "So you mean you can be here? Without...any adults?" Taima watched as his gaze fluttered about, aware that he was looking, listening, for any guardian who might have been looking after her. She nodded confidently, not wanting to admit that she had wandered just a little further than her parents' markers. Again, the stranger acknowledged her question and the smile that had slightly diminished on her face lit up her masked features. He had learned that skill from his dad. "My dad can do cool things too," she boasted, her tail waving about behind her. "He's fought off a bear before..."He continued to answer her other questions and her interest only piqued further. This man was not from here, but rather from somewhere far away. And he did not know Kade. "If a wolf is white does not mean every white wolf is the same," he explained. The reasoning in the folds of her mind concerning relationships and looks, how she and Renier looked alike and further more like their father, twisted. "Oh," she breathed, her brows furrowing. "Well... my brother and I look the same? Where're you from?"Her head tilted and she anticipated his response, eagerly staring at him with fiery golden eyes. Her tail grew still. He seemed to be a gentle soul, one that reminded her vaguely of the wolves who protected her, cared for her. It was no wonder now why the rogue's vibes hadn't sent her screaming or cowering as Sica the monster had. Unable to keep herself from firing off another question, she glanced out to the creek then back to the pale green eyes that belonged to her dark-pelted companion, "My name's Taima, what's yours? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 02, 2013, 06:47 PM by Taima.)

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The little grey boasted about her dad. 'That's pretty awesome. He must be very strong. I better keep him on my good side.' What he said was the truth but his tone more playful. In a little corner of his mind he knew to better follow up his words. A wolf who could fight a bear and survive was quite the strong one. Guessing along the lines of mating he was a alpha? Or some other important member of a pack? Eden didn't know which rules other packs used but if it were the traditional ones this one was a alpha cub. But she was nice and he felt opening up, being a bit more warm after the cold days.

Listening to the responses, she was not dumb, she actually thought about his answers. It felt kind of good that she did really listen to him. Not just nodding in agreement to forget it by the next step. 'Well you may look the same. It's your brother after all. But you guys must be different in some way? Maybe he is more..' What should he say he didn't want to offend her brother while he didn't even know him. 'Stubborn?' It was a gamble but he hoped the girl knew what he was talking about.

Taima, now the face had actually a name. 'Mine is Eden.' Taima, a cub who asked many questions. They were all innocent without any thinking behind it. There was no way such young wolf could even know one of his related family. Eden knew that but still chatting like this, the family topic was a bit painful. The brown wolf didn't want to go all dark about his family while talking to her. She probably had some good parents with a nice pack. Even if he would be darker than he was right now she may not understand the reason. Let's make it not more complex than it was. It would only give him a headache. 'I do, many brothers and sisters. But I know only my littler mates. From the litter I was the middle. I got a older sister and brother and a younger brother.' Actually, Eden wasn't so sure. There was a very good possibility that he only had one brother left.

Her tail began to sway again at her back. Her chest swelling with pride when he told her that he thought Borden was quite strong and rather impressive. "Mmmhmm." Effortlessly, he shifted topics to answer her string of questions. Truthfully, it had her thrilled beyond her wits. "Well you may look the same. It's your brother after all," he kindly replied. "But you guys must be different in some way? Maybe he is more... Stubborn?" The girl let out a giggle, her muzzle wrinkling in a sort of tickled manner. "Yeah," she confirmed.In response to her introduction the stranger provided her with his name. Eden. She kept grinning. This Eden was a particularly kind man, she ultimately resolved, and he was way more generous with words than her father. He continued to tell her that he was a middle sibling, landing him between an older sister and brother and a younger brother. "That's cool," she smiled, picturing for a split-second what Eden could have looked like when he was small. "Soooo..." she carried the word on her lips in a musing tone. She was quick to catch that he had skipped her query about where he was actually from. "How come you're here, Eden? Don't your brothers and sister miss you?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 02, 2013, 06:47 PM by Taima.)

>_> Gonna try and save Eden from her never-ending questions if that's all right. lolz. Kudos to you both for tolerating her. <3

"How come you're here, Eden? Don't your brothers and sister miss you?" Her voice seemed to float to him on the slight, cool afternoon breeze. It usually made Borden smile to hear her constantly question the world around her but to hear Taima's voice somewhere where it shouldn't be coming from made him panic. He was absolutely grateful he had arrived to the paths that ran along the river just in time. As if it made his presence all the more alarming, the Lyall drifted from his normal route and began to sprint on the edges of the river where there normally should have been dry land.His ears swiveled forward and as soon as his daughter came into view, he instantly rushed to her side, placing a drenched forearm in-between her and the coal-furred stranger. It was apparent by Taima's relaxed stance and tone that the man seemed to be pleasant, but due to her age and how easily the rogue could have whisked her farther away from home, Borden could only give in to the natural drive to protect her. His pale eyes sized up Eden's frame with a hard stare but he did not growl or snarl. To do so would have only frightened the girl and he did not want her to believe that befriending others or even allowing seemingly kind strangers was wrong. Wolves were pack animals after all and Borden knew very well from experience that having an ally, even by a word of trust, could go quite a way if their goals turned out to be mutual.In Taima's case, it seemed she had come out this way in search of an adventure, and the man she had easily made friends with had become a rather unfortunate victim of her curiosity. He stared intently at him before turning to his daughter. "They do," he answered, insinuating with a firm tone that Eden's time with Taima was up. "They're probably out wondering where he is. Your brothers are looking for you, too. We'll go meet them together, hmm? How does that sound?" He gave her a tight smile then returned his gaze back to her newfound buddy, hoping beyond hope he would play along.

(This post was last modified: Jan 02, 2013, 06:45 PM by Borden.)

Well, what do you want from me?