Poison Path goodnight, dr. death

@Steel Overcast — Current Temperature: 68° F/20° C (Early afternoon)

Thankfully for the child, she was young enough yet that even the monotonous backdrop of Poison Path's denning area had not yet bored her. She'd learned long ago that wandering off was not safe and, not to mention, tiring, and has since stuck to the central areas and only sometimes would peer into the brush. But since that terrifying day, she had not gotten anywhere near the borders. But it was alright. There was always something to do by the dens. Someone was always wandering about, checking up on her and her brother. She wasn't interested in making a name for herself as a troublemaker, so even in times of boredom she would poke her nose into unfamiliar sections of the den, or even climb the pile of rocks that they called home.

And today was one of those days. With the sun blocked out by unpleasant gray clouds, Aphrodite decided she was going to try and climb the rocks. Perhaps not entirely wise of her, especially after the den collapse, but she avoided that section, taking to the far area instead, farther away from the main entrance. When the sun was gone, the rocks were cold, and then it was out, they grew so hot she felt her paws could hardly stand it. So thankfully today was overcast, allowing her easy access to the mountainous pile of boulders that had created a maze for the Poisonous wolves to live within. She was small yet, her body still holding a look of common childish youth. Not yet had she been pulled every which way, molded into a body that was not yet grown. Of course, if she had been a few weeks older, Aphrodite would have been a gangly youth and it probably would have been much easier to mount this expedition.

But that was not the case, so it took a bit of effort for her to get up the first rock. Rearing up on her hind legs, her forepaws gripped the smooth curve of the stone, tiny nails attempting to find some hold in its minute pores. Once she felt comfortable, which hardly said anything for her grip, her hind legs bounced a bit, and she began to pull herself up, large back paws scrabbling against the rock in an attempt to help her upper half cope. It was an exhausting effort, but she managed it. However, the first leg had been so exhausting that she hardly felt she had the energy to take on what was left of this tower of ancient stone, and so she flopped over on the rock, a mere two or so feet off the ground, and took a nap.

Life had been hard on her these last few days. Discovering that Ash was not her father and whoever her father was clearly didn't care. How could she own the moon with only half-blood? Her mother was strong, but her father was clearly a coward. Why didn't he want his children? Why had he left them? These question buzzed about in her half-conscious mind, making it hard for the child to truly find a comfortable sleep. <b style="color:#c980d2">

(This post was last modified: Jun 30, 2013, 02:14 AM by Aphrodite.)

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

The burly wolf was not a pack wolf in the usual sense. He belonged to a pack. He defended their territory. He even occasionally hunted for them, but usually anything that he caught was eaten himself as he disdained the pack cache. It was too close to the others for he was a solitary man. Few had ever made an impression on him and none enough of one that he might seek out their company. His social graces were, well... nonexistent. Athena and Ash knew and accepted his odd lifestyle, content with his ability to protect the border. Although in all honesty, it was rarely breached for the mountain wolves lived in a rugged terrain that was not for the faint of heart.

However, on this day his belly drove him to the food cache. He hadn't been able to catch anything of substance in three days, just a couple of scrawny squirrels, which was hardly enough to sustain a thick beast such as himself. Yet, it still took him three days of gnawing hunger to leave the borders and head towards the den and the cache nearby, hoping with each step that no one would be about. All he wanted to do was grab a few mouthfuls of food and be back to his comfortable solitary existence, literally on the fringes of the pack. Quickly he scarfed some chunks of what might have been a deer leg at one time, hardly taking the time to breath such was his hunger by this point and his hurry to be away. The cramping that had been his constant companion for the past three days finally ceased with his reluctant meal. He curled his nose at the cold meat, but he had needed it and was mildly grateful for the cache. A benefit of being a part of a pack, he supposed with a grunt.

Just as he was about to turn away and melt back into the woods and his lone existence, the wind shifted and he paused. He smelled one of the pups. He was not overly familiar with their scent to be sure, but Athena's smell was upon the girl-child and what other pups would be about? Casting a nervous glance about and working his sensitive nose, he couldn't find the fresh scent of anyone else at that moment. Even he knew that a pup should not be alone. Someone else was surely nearby.... Her mother, Ash, anyone... He took a step towards the border, telling himself that she was fine by herself... she was here by the den where it was safe, right? A flash of the coyotes that he'd encountered the other day flashed through his mind. He'd killed their young to keep this one and her brother safe.... What was to keep another from doing the same to them? With a low snarl at himself and a snort of frustration, he dutifully followed her scent towards the den, his skin practically crawling all the way with discomfort.

He arrived and perused the area in silence, seeing no one about, save the small pale form of the she-pup asleep on a rock. She seemed safe and peaceful enough and the urge to leave was strong, but an unfamiliar feeling kept him their. It was his duty to ensure her safety. Of course that didn't mean that he had to wake her. At least asleep she wouldn't try to talk to him. His voice would likely scare her anyways. Steel's already deep voice was often made even more gravely from disuse for even in conversation he rarely spoke more than one or two words at a time, preferring to use body language and snarls to convey his meaning.

So... he let her sleep. He lay down sphinx-like about ten feet away, with his head just about at her current height. He stared at her unblinking with dark stormy blue eyes, the only hint of color on the statue of a wolf.

The thoughts that buzzed about in her mind made her brain too much of a scrum. Although her eyes were tightly shut, her paws scrambled at the rock beneath her, and tiny, gasping whines and whistles slipped from between clenched jaws. But she wasn't dreaming and she certainly wasn't asleep, only frustrated with her own thoughts, and left without an appropriate outlet for them. All she wanted to do was sleep and pretend that everything was a-ok. She wanted to find her mother or even Ash, for none of this was his fault, and bury her face into their collective scruffs. They would make it all ok. Perhaps Ash wasn't her father, but he'd played with her. Of course the thought of him put her on edge. They had no blood relation, so he had no claim on her. Or Elliot. Aphrodite would defend her brother. Athena, mother, was grown up, so Aphrodite supposed she could make her own decisions, though the Princess would defend her mother too, if asked. She could be friends with the green-eyed leader, Aphrodite was certain, as long he expected nothing of her.

With these things in mind, Aphrodite opened her eyes, giving up on sleep. Climbing the rest of this tower would take her mind off of things, and she'd eventually be the tallest in all of Poison Path, if only for a little bit. But as soon as her sapphire eyes met the light, she spotted an unfamiliar wolf. Rolling onto her belly, Aphrodite quietly began to scoot back, her nose twitching viciously. She didn't recognize this stranger, even though he smelled like her home. Her rear collided with the rock behind her, and she had no choice but to stop and watch him, <b style="color:#c980d2">"Who're you? Why're you watchin' me seep?" She asked him, eyes narrowed in his general direction. There was a hint of fire in her voice, though it was mostly squashed out by the mere age of the tones that formed the words. It was hard to sound a threat when you were hardly two months old. <b style="color:#c980d2">

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2013, 05:02 AM by Aphrodite.)

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention