Secret Woodlands transpose

<3 for anyoneeeee !

He wanted to explore. As his vision grew better and his legs grew stronger the Hervok prince was growing restless – he desperately wanted to see what was outside the bright entrance. He would occasionally climb up to the hole, to temporarily escape his siblings, and observe as much of their home as he could before his mother would call for him to return. There was so much to see, and he wanted to see it all! His baby blues found it difficult to adjust to the brightness the outside world possessed, but it was so intriguing. There was so much to learn about, and Umitas couldn’t wait to explore all of it.

With his small body placed at the entrance of their den, Unitas continued to observe the pack territory with a curious expression painted across his maw. His small legs were tucked beneath his body as studied the world beyond the darkness, his stubby tail wagging as excitement filled his tiny frame. As much as he wanted to leap from the safety of the den, he knew his mother would scold him for doing so – and that was something Unitas definitely did not want to endure.

He pawed anxiously at the ground, a soft frown developing across his short muzzle as his gaze wandered across the territory. Where were all these wolves his momma told him about? He was curious about the other wolves in their pack, but he was also scared to meet them. Were they all as nice as his momma? Would they even like him? Would they be willing to play with him? His head spun with a flurry of questions as he rested his chin above his forepaws; he just wanted someone new to play with.

Nina doesn't have to show, I just needed a way to get Io over here. Also, I didn't expect this to be huge, no obligation to be as long.
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Iopah grasped the now-limp body and started for the nearest trail, blinking as cool water ran the length of her muzzle. She snorted, not bothered enough by the dampness to consider cleaning it off. The spring-fed stream where she'd caught the woodchuck was pure and clear. Even a bit of dirt wouldn't have mattered. As her thinning coat dried it would have blown away. Up ahead the trail split and her feet automatically veered left. The fat woodchuck in her jaws was destined to be someone else's meal, she was headed for the cache. She drifted further left and awkwardly dangled the woodchuck so she could smell the shrubs bordering the path. Trail intersections were common places for pack wolves to leave scent markers, akin to notes stuck on a refrigerator. Her lips pulled further back in mild displeasure.

There are so many wolves here now.

Everyone of them bore the scent of acceptance and her lips fell back as much as the chuck would allow. A small handful of faithful members remained, but nearly all the new-comers were nothing more than a scent, paired with a name if she knew it. Ashanti had returned, but Iopah didn't know of her mental state yet, and felt inclined to give her space to adjust. And Aideen? Well, she was probably still getting over her first meeting with the opinionated Second. There was no one she cared to seek out and introduce herself to.

There was one wolf whom she knew well enough to be comfortable around. And, incidentally, Nina would appreciate the meal more than the rest. She turned and left the trail completely, headed directly for the main den. With the pups so young they would need constant supervision. Iopah hoped that Nina would welcome the opportunity to eat and stretch her legs. Her path took her through a particularly dense patch of thicket and by the time she came out the other side her coat -and the woodchuck- was studded with torn leaves and bark. In earshot of the den now, she slowed and let her tail fall farther to trail loosely between her hind legs. All the protectiveness Iopah felt toward the new thicket pups would be magnified in their mother. Iopah wanted to give no reason to suspect her. Once the den came in sight, Iopah whined loudly, indicating her submission as much as her presence. Ears flat and shoulders hunched she cautiously entered the clearing, hastily dropping the woodchuck in case Nina demanded her retreat. The clearing was empty, she called out softly, "Nina?"

Quiet movement caught her eye and her head turned to the pup watching from the den's entrance. Iopah was like many wolves in regards to pups. Whereas she would grudgingly accept a new adult wolf, pups were embraced. She whined again, this time eagerly, and settled down to study him. Her pose mimicked his. Front legs stretched out long before her, muzzled placed directly over her large paw pads. Behind her her tail flounced back and forth, smacking against the ground softly.

(This post was last modified: Jun 03, 2014, 03:41 AM by Iopah.)

<3 thanks for joining!

The urge to explore was almost unbearable, but the Woodlands prince restrained himself as he continued to observe the pack territory. There didn’t seem to be much going on around the dens today, much to Unitas’ disappointment. His frown only continued to deepen across his short maw. Would his brothers be bolder than him and explore outside the den, or would they also remain at the entrance to their den and only daydream about possible adventures? With an exasperated sigh falling off his cherry tongue the black ball of fluff flopped to his side. He was so bored! There was only so much sleeping and eating he could endure – he wanted to meet the wolves his mother spoke so frequently of!

Fortunately, for Unitas, his wish came true.

A strange, unfamiliar scent wafted in his direction, causing his small body to return to his previous position as his baby blues searched frantically for its origin. A pale female came into view, something delicious-smelling hanging from her jaws as she approached their den. The stranger called for his mother, her body gravitating to the grown as her silver ears swung back against her skull. Why was she acting like that? Confused, the boy cocked his head and continued to watch her, his nostrils flaring as he tried to store her scent for future reference.

Once the female noticed him, her body language shifted once more – this time, she crouched against the ground, mimicking his own stature. Her legs were stretched forward as her tail swayed behind her excitedly; his baby blues observed her cautiously, unsure of what to make of the silver female. Shuffling closer, and leaving behind the dark entrance of his home, Unitas’ continued to sniff in her direction – who was this wolf, and why had she brought his momma a present? “Hoooooo… W-whoooo,” he called out, his tongue struggling to make proper words spill into the air between them. He would figure out this whole talking thing eventually…

She was content, thrilled even, to simply observe. His soft puppy coat and the shortness of his limbs, the widening of his nostrils as Unitas investigated her in turn. It was endearing and fascinating. They regarded each other for a moment. Save for her tail, Iopah was stock still. To her delight he shifted closer.

Iopah made herself stay quiet, but she couldn't stop the excited shiver. She wanted to push her nose against his soft fur and lick and clean him all over, forcing his scent into her memory. But if she jumped up and did all that this hesitant little pup would probably not share her enthusiasm. So, she forced herself, more or less, still. Unitas paused his sniff and step routine to...huh? Through his attempt to speak, Iopah's head tilted in puzzlement. A couple inches in one, then the other direction. Finally she stretched out her neck till she could just touch her nose against Unitas'. She chuckled, "You sound just like an owl." She pulled back and lifted her head to look down at him.

"Who am I?" She supplied helpfully, suspecting that's what he was trying to get out. "You can call me-" A wide grin at the memory of Ashton struggling to pronounce her name, "Io." For a second she considered asking his name, but the answer got might be lacking somehow. If Nina came out later she could ask. She settled for a indulging smile and moved on. "So little owl, what where you looking for? If he was like most pups, he was looking for someone to play with.

He remained where he was, only his pale gaze moving over the silver female as he continued to observe her. As wary as he was about the stranger, he was also excited to finally meet another wolf from their pack. While he wasn’t sure that she was ‘safe’ (ie. a Woodlands wolf) at first, it was the same scent that his mother wore that blanketed this wolf. If she smelt like his mother than she must be okay… right? And she brought some sort of gift, so that was a good sign… Of course, the ball of black fluff didn’t know any better – to him, every wolf was a possible playmate.

After a brief pause her voice rang out once more; his head cocked at the foreign word ‘owl’, unsure of what she meant by it. He answered with a short, loud yip, his stubby tail wagging frantically behind him as he shuffled closer. Her voice was different from mother’s, but still pleasant – he was excited to hear more of it when she spoke once more. “You can call me – Io.” His brows furrowed at the word as his tongue clucked against the roof of his mouth as if he was tasting the word. “Eyeeeeeee-oh,” he attempted, a wide smile plastered against his maw as his tail continued to wag. “EEEEEE-oh. Ioooo?” Unitas yipped once more after his second and third attempt at her name, his baby blues never once wavering from the larger, silver female.

There was that word again, ‘owl’, followed by a question: what was he looking for? He shrugged at her words as he didn’t know – he was just looking. “Nuuffin!” He answered excitedly, his entire body wriggling with his tail.

Hearing Unitas trip over her name Iopah was infinitely glad she had give her nickname. Cute as he may be Iopah didn't want to watch him to struggle over it. All of the pups were developing rapidly and in no time they would learn her given name. And no one, up until now, called her Io anymore. They were all dead or abandoned. She thrilled at the sound of her long-unused nickname. The exaggerated pronunciation was ignored, irrelevant. He was too endearing, and she couldn't resist dragging her tongue affectionately across his plush head.

"Nuffin!""

She pulled back and squinted down at him, searching for a twinkle of mischievousness in the blue. There was nothing but wild excitement and Iopah marveled at it. She chuffed a soft laugh and shifted comfortably. Pushing her bent legs out from underneath her to stretch out to the side. That was better....

A glance to Unitas, gauging his reaction to her words. "But there is an awful lot to see. Another glance to gauge his reaction. She didn't want his excitement to get carried away. He was too young for such an excursion today. "When you are bigger I can show you everything." As she said this to the small pup, she promised it to herself. Last year she had been unsure of herself, not wanting step out of line or startle them. So she held herself apart from those pups at first, becoming involved with them too little and much too late. She vowed to be different this year, to show them everything they needed to stay safe.

He couldn’t help but wonder if the other wolves in the pack were similar to this ‘Io’. Her presence was warm and comforting, similar to that of his mother’s. Immediately Tas decided that he liked her; he was sure his brothers would also like the cream-coloured female. At the thought of his siblings the Hervok child turned his head to glance at the dark entrance of their den, almost as if he was expecting them to crawl out. He waited a few moments before returning his baby blues to Io, a soft lop-sided smile perched lazily across his maw.

She spoke once more, her soft, pleasant voice breaking the silence. His eyes widened at her words as his tail thumped absently behind him; he wanted to see it all! And not when he was bigger, now! His body wriggled at the thought as he pawed at the ground; why couldn’t he go now?! “Not now?” He asked, his head tilted as he studied the older female. “No beegger. Now. Pease.” At least he had the sense to use his manners, however broken they were. Unitas was still getting acquainted with this whole speaking business – it was a lot harder than he thought! His mother spoke so beautifully, as well as the female before it, yet his words poured out pathetically from his tongue.

As he waited for the female’s response his tail thumped impatiently against the dirt, his blue gaze focused on the pale female. Surely she would show him something; how could she say no to such an adorable face?

He reacted instantly to her words.

Her tawny-edged ears drew forward silently. In stark contrast to Unitas, Iopah was still as she regarded him. Even though her mind had been made up against she couldn't bring herself to interrupt him. She heard him out with all the seriousness she would pay to a fellow adult wolf. The corner of her mouth quirked. The effect was somewhat spoiled by his vibrating excitement.

"We can't," She started off with, a quiet chuckle punctuated each word. Her lips drew together in wry smile as she planned an explanation. It needed to satisfy him and it needed to be true. He would hear plenty enough lies in his life without it starting now. "We have to wait for you to get stronger and taller." At this she rose, letting pale legs lift her to her full height, illustrating her point without words. Unitas did not even reach her chest. Towering over the pup she was reminded of how tiny and vulnerable he was. Resolve strengthened she tried another tactic. "If we went today, you wouldn't be able to see."

"And besides, we would both be in trouble if your mom discovered we were gone." The den remained silent and Iopah spared a glance over to it. By now she was sure Nina and the rest of the pups must be asleep. The last thing she wanted to do was risk Nina's disappointment. She wanted to spend time with these pups. She planned to make good on her promise to Unitas. "I could tell you about the forest." She suggested softly, looking sidelong at the black pup.

Albeit disappointed that the older female denied his request (demand) to go see the forest, he listened to her explanation with curious ears. His head was tilted slightly as he absorbed her patient voice, his baby blues narrowing softly as he observed her. Frustrated, he pawed at the ground without looking at her as a soft frown toyed with the corners of his mouth. He was tired of being little; he wanted to explore and venture away from his family’s den. Tas couldn’t help but wonder if his brother’s had disobeyed their mother and wandered away from the den already… giving his head a quick shake, the boy returned his focus to the pale female as she spoke once more.

While her describing the forest was nothing like actually experiencing it, he still wanted to hear it. Unitas nodded excitedly, his small body bouncing against the earth. “Tell meeeeeee, teeeeeell,” he howled, barely able to contain his excitement. “Pease!!!” Even if he was excited he couldn’t forget his manners – if he had left out the word Io might refuse to tell him all about the forest beyond his den. “Wa’s it like?” He asked in a hushed voice as he leaned back, his bright blue eyes widening as he awaited her response. His paws itched for adventure but he remained where he was – he didn’t want to upset his momma, or get Io in trouble. Unitas knew what it was like when his mother was cross with him; he didn’t want the pale female to experience her wrath. She was a nice lady, and Unitas liked her – getting her in trouble was the last thing he wanted.

Frustration was out of place on his round body. Dark fluff and baby fat clashed with the emotion. As he scuffed the ground in anger Iopah smiled softly at the comical sight. It soothed her when he acquiesced to her words, but he would be one to watch. When his excited cries echoed in the small space her lips pulled back in a grimace and her eyes rose to the den entrance in apology. Everyone would be awake now. Unitas had made sure of that. She stood waiting a few minutes for an arrival that never came. Unitas' voice, when it came, was hushed.

She look to the blue-green eyes waiting for an immediate description. She couldn't tell him of everything, but she could give him a start. "It's quiet, and tall trees shade out most of the sun." A tawny and creme muzzle stretched skyward so she could see the tall canopy overheard. "Vines and plants climb the trees and everything grows close together. Those same plants have spines and grow along the ground. Everyone has to be careful not to step on a thorn." She reached out and playfully prodded his large puppy feet with her black wolf nose. They were soft and tender, easily damaged, he had to be careful more than most. Drawing back, she looked out into the thicket as she recalled the layout.

"To the right of here is the cache where meat is stored. You have to use your nose to find the trail." She sighed wistfully, her depiction expanding like the ripples of a pond, reaching farther and farther points. "Our trails lead to sleeping dens, patches of bright flowers, and even a small stream." The day had been long and Iopah stretched out contentedly, laying flat on her side with her gray streaked tail stirring the ground sleepily. She watched Unitas, seeing the reactions play across his face. "And I promise when your nose can smell everything and your eyes can see it all, I will show you."