Sacred Grove so many wonders

Partly Cloudy — Current Temperature: 81° F/27° C - morning
a continuation of this thread

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#A4A1A0;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;"> The child had been abandoned. When she'd awoken in the night, there was warmth missing. Aunty Nai had disappeared. Aphrodite, for a moment, felt foolish. Why had she trusted the stranger and now she was lost! But the feelings passed quickly as the child fell asleep again. For quite some time she slept until the morning light took over and pulled the Princess from her long slumber. The strong smell of...aging fish filled her nostrils, reminding her finally of that day by the lake, when that scary black wolf had found them. She never would have gone with him! The wolf had smelled dangerous to Aphie. But the kindly wolf that had found her yesterday... Aphrodite could only wonder if it had been some kind of mistake. Leaving the fish behind, she called out for some time for "Aunty Nai", but there had never been an answer. Finding her place by the stream again (thankfully the fish smelled so strongly now it wasn't too hard), Aphrodite tucked into the less-than-savory meal and settled among the roots again. She didn't know what to do. The path they'd taken yesterday was hazy in her mind and she wasn't certain that she could climb that terrible hill on her own, even if she could have found her way back to the mountain. What was the Princess to do? Sitting forlornly among the roots, the child began to howl, though it was more like a number of very loud moans and whines. It was probably a foolish act and would summon any number of personalities to her position, but she tired of being lonely and making noise had worked before at home!

(This post was last modified: Jul 16, 2013, 06:11 PM by Aphrodite.)

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what you don't know, won't hurt you

Tokino Lagina

what you can't see, won't blind you

He had been exploring again. The area north east of his nieces pack was still mostly unknown to the gray man. He knew that just east of her young family was another more established pack, and was still somewhat interested in them. The gray man had not gotten a chance to speak with Nari or her mate yet as both of them were busy with their pups and the packs safety. So now that he had some extra time to himself Tokino had decided to use that time and explore some. The very same wanderlust his niece had was strong within the older Lagina just as it had shaped their family over the generations.

The place he was on the fringe of now was beautiful. Tall tree's and little amount of undergrowth marked this area. Beds of clover and moss grew in the filtered sunlight. The clover grew in the patches of sun in hug clumps, while the moss happily took the damp shadowed places covering the ground like green velvet. It truly was a beautiful place to pad through; sacred in its own right. A sacred forest... Like the stories of olde.. Kino padded very slow taking in the sights with an almost childish wonder within his pale icy gaze.

Among the beautiful sights and the calming sounds of the grove the silver male released the tense muscles he'd gained from traveling. He trod along then began to hear a stream bubbling from someplace to his left. Everything was calm until a high pitched whining noise interrupted the forests sounds. Tokino angled his ears and tensed up again trying to figure out what it was. A dying rabbit?... No.. He'd heard animals cry out in pain before as a predator finished their lives. This was a different lonely sound. Almost like a very high toned howling.

Turning to the left the gray male searched for the familiar call that any wolf would, or should answer. A pups distressed wailing. It took Kino a minute or two to find her, and once she was found he watched from behind a tree looking the pup over and gauging the situation.

What he saw was a dirty little thing. A light gray pup? With the most enchanting eye's he'd seen yet among the wolves of this land. A blue green that only a very few of the Lagina family might have possessed. However theirs were not as perfect as this childs. Scenting the youngster quickly Tokino did not recognize any pack scent on her. At least if there was any it was faint and of a pack he had not come by yet. Mostly the young girl smelled like well aged fish which stuck in the old mans nose. Maybe one of those wolves in the pack might recognize her from someplace. I don't see any parents around.. Besides what parents would leave a child unattended for, and so messy too.

Tokino coughed clearing her fishy smell out of his nose and trod out into the open. His gaze was a curious but kind one as he watched the young wolf. Hello there young one. What are you doing out here all by yourself might I ask? He kept his tail neutral positioned but wagging to show friendliness. The proud Lagina would not let the child be alone. Even if he got into trouble for it.

(This post was last modified: Jul 17, 2013, 07:06 PM by Tokino.)

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#A4A1A0;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;"> It was an unfortunate life, the life of a pup. There was only so much to know, so much to understand. She didn't understand why she was out here alone. Why Aunty Nai had abandoned her out here. Why wasn't her mother here already, like she had been before? She didn't know where she was or what this place used to be. Not only was she lost physically, but mentally as well. What was good and evil to a child? It was a case-by-case basis based solely on looks and words. They looked trustworthy and sounded trustworthy, then she didn't see the problem! But if their words had that scary sound and their eyes stared at her in that terrible way, then she knew that she wasn't safe. Life became a jumble of confusion and terror in those hours past waking. As the Princess moaned into the warm morning air, her mind scrambled and she was useless. All she knew was what she saw, and what she saw, she didn't recognize. Where was home? Where was mother? Who were they and why had they left her here? She'd wanted to terribly to be strong...And now she was reduced to this sad gobbet of fur and sound. And to make matters worse, someone answered her cries. She heard him before she saw him, and her cries immediately stopped, ears pressed back against her skull in a mixture of defense and embarrassment. Sliding from her root, the girl laid behind what was left of the salmon, her paws draped over it. She knew well enough that food was important. That was a fact that had been embedded into her mind since the day she was born, so she wasn't keen on leaving her salmon alone. This stranger looked friendly, his tail wagged. But so had Aunty Nai's and she'd left Aphrodite here. The girl scowled at the stranger, wondering whether or not to answer him. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Go 'waaaaay!" She barked at the man, still frowning, though her eyes reflected her fear. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Mah feesh." Tilting her muzzle down, she chewed lightly upon the scales, as if to show this blue-eyed stranger that this was her fish and he could have nothing to do with it. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"I go ho-um. Aphie go ho-um." She told him, as though it would answer his question, since her first would not. When she'd cried out, she hadn't intended for this stranger to find her, but for her mother, or Ash, or Namara, or even Elliot.

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what you don't know, won't hurt you

Tokino Lagina

what you can't see, won't blind you

She was quick to notice him. The little pup who looked oh so sad and lonely. Which, now that he looked more closely at her, Tokino could now tell that she was actually a white pup and not a light gray one. His head cocked curiously to one side as if he were a pup himself curious about her words. But I dun wanna... He teased letting his gray banner wag even more excitedly as if he were having fun. I wanna play not eat a smelly fish. Kino tried to get her to not fear him. With a crooked smile and a playful gleam in his icy gaze Kino lay himself down then rolled onto his back exposing his belly to her while playfully pawing near her face tempting the pup to nip at him.

If I can I would like to get her to trust me a little. At least enough so that I can tell her that I want to help and she'll believe me instead of being all defensive. He let his lips droop as the male glanced at her but not directly into Aphrodite's pretty gaze. Instead it was more of a looking through her sort of gaze, one that wasn't supposed to be offensive in any way. Her voice told him right away that she was beyond frightened to the point that she probably wasn't thinking correctly. He desperately wanted to keep her on track. To assure her that she had a companion right now.

I'm Tokino Lagina. You are Affy? Do you know your whole name? He grinned while swiping at a fluff of puffy white pollen floating in the air just above his face. Nervously Kino glanced to his left and right making sure no other predators might catch him in this very revealing and dangerous position. He glanced back to the girl who was lightly nibbling on the scales of her fish. I wonder how she got that. I'm sure she couldn't have caught it.. Maybe.. another loner gave it to her? But why leave her alone then? He couldn't believe that anyone would simply leave the pup alone after finding one lost out here as she was. Affy, or whatever her name was, had to have a family and a worried mother out there someplace.

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#A4A1A0;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;"> She wanted so terribly to run away. This man mimicked her way of speaking and she looked a little confused. He'd spoken normally a minute ago. Was he making fun of her now? Baring her teeth at him, she dropped her head to the fish body, nose twitching as she watched him. There was no smile of amusement on her face. Well, not yet at least. His tail wagged and his voice was nice, even if he was making fun of her...But Aunty Nai...A quiet whine seeped through her teeth, though it mingled with his words and would likely go unheard. It was good to know, at the very least, that he didn't seem to want her fish. She took another nibble, finding it not to her taste after sitting out for so long, and she moved her head away from it, nudging her muzzle beneath is so she could flip it away from herself. Aphrodite scrambled to her paws, blinking in surprise as he rolled onto his back, seemingly wanting to play with her. Aunty Nai hadn't done that. Her tail wagged slowly and she fell into a playful pose, bouncing forward trying to bite at his paws as they papped at her face. He must've been ok! He wanted to play like Mother and Ash and Namara and Elliot. She couldn't understand the effort he was making to make her comfortable, only could she understand that he was playing and that was alright! He had no reason to be on his back, keeping his eyes off of her. But he was. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Dooooooh-ki-po." She said, butchering the friendly man's name. No, that wasn't right. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Tuh-okino." She tried again, putting a bit too much emphasis on the 'T' and spat on accident. Her tail wagged, as she was certain she'd gotten it right. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Aferdide." She told him, smiling, comfortable. She wasn't even scared anymore. This man would take her home now, the Princess was certain of it! <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Aferdide Mahoooon." She howled her last name, and giggled, rolling onto her back, kicking her long, awkward legs in the air. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Tuhokino take Afie houm?" Her body ceased to wiggle as she asked, watching him upside down with a serious look. She had to make sure this wouldn't be another trick.

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Omg so cute...

what you don't know, won't hurt you

Tokino Lagina

what you can't see, won't blind you

It was slow, and at the beginning Kino could still see that the pup was wary of him. However eventually she started to warm up to the gray wolf. He sighed happy that she wasn't going to be too much of a problem to deal with. Her little whit tail began wagging slowly at first. As he lay on his back the elder wolf was rewarded for his efforts when she began attacking his paws. His own tail thumped heavily on the ground as if beating a drum while the pups fright melted away. He could see a bright personality in the previously scared stranger pup.

She called his name.. At least he hoped that word had been his name. Then after a second she tried again with more success at his first name. Nodding happily to the little one Tokino looked over her approvingly. Yes I'm Tokino.. He answered quickly then waited as another few words came out from her perfectly rounded fuzzy white muzzle. He listened intently trying to piece together the word. Affer didee... Aphredide..no.. Aphrodite? Was that her name? He looked over to her tail wagging excited. Your name is Aphrodite? Aphrodite Moon? The second part of her name was a little easier to decipher and his smile widened as she howled it happily.

He began to pick himself up when the little girl came over and asked him if he could take her home. He cocked his head a little at first unwilling to answer her for the older male did not know where the girls home truly was.

Earlier Aphrodite had pushed the fish away. It had rolled a bit towards him and now as Tokino pulled himself back to his feet the gray man carefully picked up the fish and flung it playfully into the air. He chuckled when it broke in half near the area where Aphrodite had been munching on it. The tail landed a little farther away towards the stream whereas the front end of the fish landed in a deep patch of clover to his right. Giving the pup a smile Tokino sighed then stretched his front legs.

I know where my home is. Many friends ready to play there like me. With pups too. I can take you there. I do not know where your home is. But my friends could, might know where you live. There is lots of food there too. Please come with me friend Aphrodite. He tried to make his wording a little simpler for her. The Lagina wolf would not lie to the girl, and if she did not want to go with him he would stay by her until eventually she was found by her parents or until they wandered close enough to his nieces pack.

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#A4A1A0;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;"> <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Aferdide Mooooon!" She said again, after he asked to be sure. Giggling, she got back to her paws, hoping that he would be taking her home. Where was that again? Her mind struggled to remember. She remembered her mother and Ash and Namara and Elliot...but what was home called? Where was it again? Oh, it was all so very frustrating to the child who had undergone so much trauma a very short period of time. Her mind was distracted again as Tokino tossed the fish into the air. Her earlier possessiveness over the salmon was gone now, replaced by amusement as it broke apart, essentially raining down on them. Another little giggle came from her, more laughing than she'd done in quite some time. She hopped up to him, tipping her head back to look up at him, waiting for an answer. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Hooooooum." She said again, wondering if he hadn't heard her the first few times she said it. But it seemed as though he didn't know where her home was either. Well that was terrible, but she supposed if she stayed here, Athena would find her soon enough....Except Tokino said that his home had pups to play with and that was certainly better than being out here alone. And if his friends knew where she lived, then she could get home easy! Maybe momma would never know she'd left in the first place. Aphrodite only hoped that she'd be able to remember where she lived. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Afie follow Tuhokino." She said, bouncing up a bit to lick his chin.

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what you don't know, won't hurt you

Tokino Lagina

what you can't see, won't blind you

The young pup's exuberance relaxed the gray man some. She wasn't going to argue against going with him it seemed which made things a hell of a lot easier for the Lagina wolf. When little Aphrodite bounced upwards to lick his chin Tokino dipped his head and licked her forehead once. His blue gaze trained on her dirty pelt.

I'm going to have to get you cleaned up once we get to my home. Only after the alpha's check you out first... The man felt some sort of emotion flower in his heart but quickly shook it off and lifted his gaze to search for danger before they headed out. The gray male scanned the trees glad that everything seemed quiet and uneventful in the forest. The birds chittered loudly proclaiming their small treetop territories and the squirrels frolicked around the bases of the trees.

Started forward at a slow pace Tokino waved his tail flicking the young girls side silently gesturing to "follow". My home is southwest of here in a big almost golden meadow. He offered up some information to the Moon princess so that she would know where they were headed. Then glancing back at Aphrodite, Tokino made sure she was following and not distracted by the scenery. He would like to get the girl back by dark.

Wanna play a game while we travel? Tokino had something in mind that would keep her attention should she decide to play it. A game of I spy would also allow him to look at his surroundings more closely for foxes, bears, or badgers. It was a good way to teach the girl to look closely at her own surroundings as well. Not that I should be teaching that to her in the first place... Her parents should be. Kino sniffed indignantly as he waited for the girl to answer.

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#A4A1A0;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#96E1D6;"><b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;"> Cleaned up? Was she dirty? The words confused her a little bit. Aphrodite was never dirty! Her fur was always pretty, because someone always cleaned it. But it hadn't occurred to the girl that she hadn't been home for over a day. No one had been around to give her a bath. But then again, she didn't know what she looked like either, nor did she even really understand what "dirty" felt like. She felt fine. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Momma alpa?" She asked, hearing a word she really recognized. Momma Athena was an alpha, a queen, a leader, her mommy! Was Athena at Tokino's home? She followed eagerly behind him, her own little tail wagging as she skipped alongside him. This man seemed a lot nicer than Aunty Nai. She was glad that she'd found him. When he gave her an idea of direction, it meant very little to the girl. Southwest? Aphrodite would just follow him. But the sound of a golden meadow sounded amazing, and she was very excited to see it. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Meedoo!" The child princess chirped, eyes focused straight ahead as she tried to imagine this magical meadow. Her attention was broken, and she quickly caught up with Tokino as her pace has slowed significantly as she'd been imagining where he was leading her. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#4F673B;">"Game!" She yelled, obviously accepting his offer. Aphrodite liked games, and especially games that would make the walk less tedious and tiring. She didn't know how far they were going, hopefully not too far, but she was always willing to play a game if it was offered her.

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what you don't know, won't hurt you

Tokino Lagina

what you can't see, won't blind you

No your momma is not my alpha. This is a different alpha. he tried to explain though Kino did not know how much the girl would understand. He was, on the other paw, sure that with his nieces kind demeanor Nari would probably take in this poor scrap following him. As much as he knew that the packs pups came first Tokino still took pity on little Aphrodite and would help her as much as he could.

Okay here is how to play. I see something and describe it. Then you have to guess what it is. He explained while slinking under a fallen tree. The moss hanging off the tree swept over the mans gray fur as he passed just under the decrepit log. If you don't know the word for something then point at it to show me and I'll help. Kino added suddenly rethinking his brilliant idea. If the pup didn't know what the things around her were that he was spying then how was he to even play the game with her in the first place?

I will go first.

For a moment he paused looking around at the passing scenery. His icy eyes focused on things farther ahead of him so that she could see them as well. There were a few things scattered about the changing landscape that he might be able to use. A different fallen tree that had a number of step mushrooms growing all over the sides of it, a bright bird with a stout body and a large crest upon its head was singing loudly from a low tree branch to their right that he knew as a cardinal , and then there was the stream itself making a good opportunity for the man if he so chose to use it.

I spy..err.. see with my eyes something tall... Tokino decided to go easy on her for the first round.