Spectral Woods Don't Tell Mom!

For @Jericho and maybe Uncle @Triell later on? I tend to not post on the weekends as I spend them with my boyfriend, but I'll be sure to respond on Monday if you've gotten a response up. =)

Serach's rump was in the air, his tail wagging eagerly above his body. His little muzzle was covered in dirt and his pale paws were probably permanently stained from the grime. But it was oh so worth it. The trail that Serach had followed had gone right past the territory borders, the scent of which had almost knocked him over from its strength. He had never been to the borders before, and wasn't even quite sure what "borders" meant, so he couldn't be certain if mom had told him to stay away from them or not. Oh well. The path that had led him out had been an abundance of smells that had lured the young cub away from the safety of the den and his brother. Sceral had been sleeping, and while he was normally the least adventurous of the two, Serach had decided to test his bravery that day. And when he saw the furry brown critter with the long, fluffy tail - he knew he had to have it.

The squirrel had led him on a merry chase, down the path that had seen frequent use by the adult members of the pack. He had been so intent on catching the animal, though, he hadn't noticed any of the adults - if there had been any. Eventually the squirrel had given up sprinting across the ground, harried by Serach's adolescent yips and barks, and had raced up a tree to safety. Unable to follow (@Fenru had settled once and for all that wolves could not climb trees), Serach had given up the chase, but had continued down the path anyway, emboldened by his not so near success.

Burrowing his nose deeper into the hole, Serach tried to look into the darkness - completely oblivious to his surroundings. But all his eyes could see was black, and his childish calls of "Hellooooo down there!" had received no answer. Positioned among the roots of a tree, the hole was too small for Serach to go into himself. His grin fading, the Oak Tree Bend prince pushed himself back from the hole and onto his butt. His muzzle was now thoroughly dirty, but the frown and disappointment was still more than apparent. "Boooo," he pouted, lifting a dirty covered hind leg to scratch his ear. "Now what I gonna do?"

The day warmed her pelt as the sun cast its rays across the forest lands – she reveled in the bit of summer that was left, and had decided to trail the borders that day, marking every so often and in turn, keeping an eye and familiarizing herself more with her home. The birds sang soft songs in the trees as they hopped from one branch to the next, while the gentle thrum of a cricket could be heard from time to time. It was relatively quiet and peaceful.. that is, until she heard a thunderous lope of paws. Straightening in sudden and acute awareness, Kisla felt herself bristle, awaiting to see what beast came crashing through the brush. Disbelief soon took hold, her green eyes widening as she then saw Serach break away from the foliage and in turn, careen himself past the borders with no obvious sign of disdain for breaking the rules.

Perhaps, had she had better experiences with the fates of her younger siblings in the past, KIsla’s heart would not have practically jumped in to her throat at this sight, and without hesitance, the spry she-wolf was off after her youngest sibling, her creamy paws thrumming the earth in her desperate need to reach him before something else did.

For such tiny limbs he was fast, and by the time the Tainn female caught up to the boy he was huffing at a hole before pulling back dramatically to his rump, one muddy hind paw coming to scratch an itch as he contemplated boredom. “Serach,” she began, finally slowing her pace and feeling relief flood through her that nothing else had got to him before she had. “What are you doing outside of pack lands?”

(This post was last modified: Oct 29, 2013, 04:24 PM by Kisla.)

sparking up my heart

@Jericho - You're still welcome to hop into this thread if you'd like!

Serach peered into the darkness of the hole, contemplating it with a rather sobersided attitude. This was a major predicament, and though his racked his brain for an answer, he could think of nothing. His disappointment and frustration at being unable to explore this new found place (and a wonderful hiding spot for when he and @Sceral would play hide-and-go-seek) dominated his concentration. Blissfully unaware of Kisla's pursuit, and now her slower-paced approach, Serach didn't bother turning around.

But when she spoke, he was startled out of his contemplation. With a surprised yip, the puppy tried to whirl around and face the voice, but he had forgotten to stand up first. Paws tangling, the young Aesire cub was brought down by physics, limbs flailing as he hit the dirt. Once on the ground, though, he was able to right himself and stand up. His tail was tucked underneath him, pressed against his underbelly, but his green eyes had widened in recognition. "Kithla!" He babbled, the tip of his tail wagging beneath him. But it stopped almost immediately. Serach had momentarily looked down at the ground, and with embarrassment, realized that the ground was wet where he had been sitting. He'd peed himself out of fright.

Trying to muster up the courage to speak, despite his major embarrassment (what would Sceral think?!), he shuffled his forepaws awkwardly. No longer looking up at his older sister, Serach became fascinated with the ground. "I...I...I...Idunno," he mumbled eventually after several attempts. What had made him leave? His nose crinkled in concentration as he tried to remember, but he couldn't. The thought of exploring the hole had captivated him, and nothing else mattered.

(This post was last modified: Sep 22, 2013, 01:53 PM by Serach.)

Her eyes worried over him – her voice had drawn him from whatever had him enthralled, and at his sudden surprise to her presence, the boy twisted in a clumsy heap of overgrown paws and a lack of fully functioning motor skills. The utterance of her name in such an innocent fashion clenched at her heartstrings, and moving closer, only when realization of his accident seemingly fell upon him did she realize as well as the scent wafted in to the air.

He became embarrassed instantly, and while her youth had not been so long ago, she could not entirely recall the emotions one went through at such a tender age. His stuttered response caused her eyes to roll up slightly, feeling the worry for his safety still gnaw at her stomach – Rissa, after all, had been taken from their lands.. or went willingly. No one truly knew. Serach or Sceral could easily meet the same fate..

She closed the gap between them now – her tail swaying behind her like a proud banner as she gripped the scruff of his nape gently in her teeth. Dragging him away from his puddle and toward her, she pressed one paw to his spine, as if to hold him as she released a crooning growl. Beginning to groom the boy of his mistake, her eyes fell upon his as she released a soft sigh. “It’s not safe outside of pack lands alone,” she insisted in between her cleaning session, her tone holding a strict note despite her affections for the boy. She had lost almost everyone she knew. She refused to lose him as well.

sparking up my heart

The wolf cub wanted nothing more than to continue to stare at the ground or be able to return to the hole. The dirt on his muzzle and paws was evidence enough that he had been entirely wrapped up in his adventures - certainly they were more fun than wetting yourself in front of your sister. What if she told mom?! Head still bent downwards, he tried to peer upwards to look at her. But she was big, and he was small, so he had no choice but to raise his head to look at her. But before he could open his mouth, Kisla had him by the scruff and was pulling him forward and out of his mess. He wagged the tip of his tail tentatively, and when she leaned down to clean him, Serach couldn't help but croon back in response. "Thank you," he crooned into her leg, leaning against it and rubbing his forehead against it.

She spoke up though, and Serach was all ears - they perked up above his head immediately, quivering at the sound of her voice. Despite the tenderness of her touch, her voice sounded kind of...mean. The boy frowned, and he half pulled away so he could look up at her face directly, the expression on his face clearly confused. "But...but...but why not?" he asked, his blue eyes narrowing in suspicion as he realized something. "You here by yourself! If you can, me too!" He puffed out his chest - because somehow that would help him prove his point that he could be out here on his own.

So shortly after she began her ministrations did the boy lean against her, soothed by her gentle reaction. Yet so shortly after she reprimanded him verbally did he puff up like a hot headed crow, pulling back slightly and casting his own accusations in return. Her features set in a grim line as she studied him through green eyes. Frustration almost seemed to emanate from him, and a stubbornness that she herself had depicted many times as she was growing up, and recalling this, the she-wolf refrained from lifting a paw and jabbing him in the chest to knock him over and prove a point. Brute force did not seem to be the way to bring the dire circumstances to his head.

“Because I’m a lot bigger than you and that means predators are less likely to challenge me.. or other wolves.” She spoke this quietly, her voice curbing the taut frustration she felt, though her stance did not relax. She made no move to re-situate him again so she could continue grooming him –making him understand the worlds dangers was far more important. “What would you do if a coyote or a lynx came along and thought you a decent meal?” It was an honest question, and she studied him with a scrutinizing glance. “Being off pack lands means we can’t come help you if you call for it.” Of course, these were perhaps the scenarios that were the least of her worries.. It was the smooth talking of other wolves that truly terrified her for her baby brothers – it had worked upon her once before, and thankfully Marsh had been there to rescue her. Rissa had not been so lucky.

sparking up my heart

Oh goodness >.< I could have sworn I replied to this.

Truth be told, the young Aesir cub had no idea how frustrating he was. His life had never been in peril, so he had no base point of understanding. As he would grow older and the world grew darker, he would understand, but for now, his world was filled with sunshine and rainbows - there were no such things as boogeymen in the night. But there was something that bothered his big sister. She had stopped her caresses, and his smile flattened into a frown. He liked kisses.

"Pred...pred..predtators," he repeated, his brows furrowing in confusion. He had heard the word before, but he really had no idea what it meant. He wasn't sure how it mattered either; yeah, @Kisla was bigger than him, but that just meant she could dig holes faster. His frown and confusion grew more pronounced, accompanying the tilt of the head that he had seen his mother do. What was a lynx? Or a coyote? More words he didn't understand, and it made him sad. When was he going to get big and understand everything? "I not food," he pouted. "I'm a wolf! Like you! We don't get eaten. We eat!" His high pitched voice rose. Tilting his head backwards, he stared directly up at her. He didn't understand. Why would anybody want to eat him?

Despite his defiance, Kisla's next words cut through Serach's confusion. Slowly he lowered his head back down, staring at his sister's paws. They look a lot like mom's, he noted dully. Why he still couldn't grasp the dangers that lurked in the world beyond his family's home, he did understand that if they couldn't hear him, they couldn't come help him. "Help" meaning to come help him explore the holes that had captured his attention, or explain what he was seeing. "Okay..." he mumbled, floppy ears pressed backwards and flat against his skull. "Wanna help me now? Since you're here?" Lips parting, he tried to smile, hoping it would break through her sullenness.

It occurred to her then as Serach repeated the words slowly, and then huffed back at her that no, he in fact was not food, but a wolf. A snort of weary bemusement escaped her as she regarded her younger half-sibling, refraining from rolling her eyes skyward at his insistence. “Trust me, kiddo, you’re not inedible,” she hummed out, her smirk turning slightly malicious.

Once the boys gaze lowered, she withheld a sigh of relief. Finally! Perhaps she had gotten through some aspect of the dangers he could be in.. And yet, as sheepish as he may have been, he was quick to retort with how exactly she could help him, causing the she-wolf’s jaws to gape open slightly in disbelief. Suspicion laced across her features as she quizzically regarded him, unsure if he had taken in anything she had just said.

Bending down to nip at his ear with both frustration and affection, she took the bait. “What is it you need?” Her tone softened, as did her features. Shifting her lithe figure, the she-wolf stretched out her back legs, feeling some stiffness in her hind limbs. Knowing the imagination her two younger brothers seemed to have, it was likely Serach was about to pull her in to spending her day doing something ridiculous – and while she wouldn’t admit it, she would enjoy every minute of it. If playing and exploring outside of Oak Tree Bend borders made him content, she would comply for now, allowing him to manipulate her time as he saw fit. At least for one day she could have one of the boys to herself.

sparking up my heart