Spectral Woods Stay High

@Florence! <3

“Florence, come on!” A tiny ivory she-wolf barked excitedly, racing forwards from underneath a huge darkly-furred male in a sprint and running figure eights around the eerie trees. The whole forest seemed to be bathed in a ghostly blue glow that shut out any noise, leaving the silence to wrap around everything in a thick, heavy blanket. The stillness seemed to be dense, suffocating, even, but it didn’t bother Vera that much. Her eagerness for new and exhilarating things overpowered anything else that she could be feeling at that moment.

Her caramel brown eyes fervently took in the forest as she came to a sudden halt, paws digging into the soil from the abrupt stop. There was a mysterious fog that curled around her, its wraithlike blue tendrils snaking around her legs and curling up and over her back, cocooning her in its embrace. She shivered, shaking out her body as if it would make the fog go away, before hastily running back to Florence and coiling herself around his long front legs, standing between them.

He was the largest of his species, and her the smallest of hers; the top of her head barely brushed against the fur of his stomach, and she often stood between his front legs when they met others, not because she was afraid of them, but because she wanted to. He let her do it too, and she took a wild guess that it was because he found it hilarious, especially when she was in a hyper mood and ran back and forth underneath him, all because she could and wanted to. If she wanted something that was within her reach, she wouldn’t stop until she grabbed it and claimed it as hers. “This place is so strange… do you think a pack lives here?”

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(This post was last modified: Jul 18, 2014, 07:03 AM by Vera.)

Following after this smaller companion at a much slower pace, the large dark furred wolf named Florence couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped his maw when she darted around the trees like a small pup that most other wolves mistook her for, like he had upon first meeting the female.

”I am coming Vera.” Florence called after her in his distinctive low voice, his amber eyes canvasing the area in an ever alert protectiveness that hung around him whenever Vera was concerned. Many thought her to be weak and unable to protect herself due to her size but they would be surprised when the small woman would leap at them with teeth bared and snarls in her throat. But that did not stop Florence from wanting to make sure she would not be so careless or become hurt.

So when she curled around the front of his legs, like she was often fond of doing and he would let her. It would be an odd image to others, seeing the two like they were but Florence did not care what they thought. If it meant having Vera close to him while in such a gloomy forest, then he had no problem with her doing it. The forest had him on edge ever since entering it and all he wanted to do was leave. ”Perhaps there is.” There were no markers that had been scented so far so if there was a pack, they hadn’t come across it yet. ”We should be careful. If there are wolves around here, we do not know if they are friendly or not.”

Vera could feel the uneasiness radiating from her larger companion, and for good reason. The forest seemed to have a darker, daunting feel to it that set his nerves on edge, hers too, but not as much. She knew he would be able to protect her from anything, yes, anything, and she had faith in him that no harm would come to them. It was just a scary-looking forest, she was more wary of what creatures there were in the forest. She had spotted large hoof marks in the clingy soil when they first entered, among many others; wolves, coyotes, foxes, possibly more.

She barely held back the roll of her eyes at Florence’s comment. “You say that every time Fero… and am I not always careful?” Cheekily grinning, she lifted herself onto her back paws and spun around, placing her front paw pads on his shoulders so they were face-to-face. It didn’t help that they were polar opposites concerning their height, but she didn’t mind that one bit. Just because she was tiny and he was huge did not mean they couldn’t be the best of friends. Touching her nose to his, she snuffled and placed a soft kiss before pulling back and landing with all four feet once more on the ground, ears and tail raised joyfully.

The diminutive ivory she-wolf glanced behind her at her larger companion, a mischievous glint in her caramel brown eyes. “I propose that we explore every inch this place.” Without waiting for his answer (she never did) Vera sprang forwards in an easy lope, banner waving in the wind and head lowered on the ground to take in all the scents. She knew that Florence wouldn’t be far behind her, but couldn’t resist sneaking a peek over her shoulder.

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Letting out a huff just as she reared back onto her hind legs and placed her paws on his shoulders, his face softening when she rubbed her nose against his before laying a small kiss on him. Vera never let their size bother her, as it did not bother him either.

”That is debatable Nix Delibo.” Florence couldn’t stop the way his eyes rolled at the way she responded to him telling her to be careful, one of her favourite nicknames for him easily falling from her lips as she bounded forward and away from him. The declaration she made before doing so was nothing of a surprise for him as he shifted his weight forward as he began his patient walk after Vera. While she often dashed forward, well ahead of him and he would slowly follow after, she always came back so he knew not to worry. As different as they were to each other, making easy conversation between them and comfortable silence when not talking, Florence would not trade her friendship for the world.

Noticing the woman glancing over her shoulder at him, Florence took several big steps that had him level with his smaller companion and without even knowing he was really doing it, made sure to walk slowly out of habit so she could keep in step with her smaller strides. With his legs much longer then hers, his walking often had him taking one step to her two or three. So he had started walking more slowly until he didn’t even notice what the was doing anymore.

(This post was last modified: Jul 18, 2014, 09:11 AM by Florence.)

A single ear flicked backwards at Florence’s use of one of his favourite nicknames for her, and a grin emerged on her face. She just loved the way the foreign words rolled off his tongue, and could listen to him speak all day without saying a word. Though more often than not it was the other way around, with her chattering nonstop about everything while they were together, but throw another wolf into the mix and she became as quiet as a mouse. That is, unless the unknown wolf gave her reason not to be, and then she would verbally snap at them with sharp, poison-tipped words.

At her quick, sneaky glance, Vera could see her larger companion take several of his insanely huge steps – compared to hers, at least, every one of his was like three of hers – until he was walking next to her, his gait slowing so that she could keep up with him without having to quicken her own pace. After a few months of being together the diminutive ivory she-wolf had noticed that over time Florence had unconsciously learned to walk slowly when with her, and it seemed as if he didn’t realize he was doing so at times.

Giggling, she paused momentarily before slipping underneath his tall, lanky body (in comparison with hers), her tail brushing against the underside of his stomach so that she was walking on his other side. She often switched sides as they strolled through the lands to see what was on the other side of his immense bulk, and maybe it was also because she just couldn’t stand or walk in the same place or direction for one length of time. She needed to be constantly distracted or she became bored, which happened very easily. One might say that she had the attention span of a gold fish.

“What should we do if there is a pack around here?” Vera asked suddenly, voicing her thoughts. She was curious; they hadn’t come upon many packs before, but they often strayed away without getting close to the borders with her unwillingness to share Florence with the rest of the pack, even for the smallest of things. It couldn’t be helped though, she was very protective of him, and she knew he felt the same way for her. They were like two peas in a pod.

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When she giggles and slips under his tail, Florence does not miss a beat in his steps, knowing all too well that she could never stay in one spot for long. It was another of their many differences that they had learnt about over the months. She could not stay still for long, always fidgeting and batting Florence on the shoulders as he dozed in the warm afternoon sun, ever patient with his small friend.

”We shall see if there is one first Vera, and if there so happens to be one, then we shall investigate it and join, if it suits us.” They both know that he means if it suits her, both knowing her disdain for sharing Florence’s company whenever they were in a pack. And he was used to her sudden outbursts of questions and statements, having frown used to her random words coming from nowhere. He would try his best to answer her questions and give his opinion on any statements she put forth. He didn’t mind that she spoke enough for the two of them, though he could speak when needed and give his own voice when it was needed. Florence spoke sparingly, content to let Vera speak.

”If we do happen to join Vera, if there is a pack around,” Florence begun as a thought played on his mind. It would be given not as an insult or meant for offense but as a suggestion. ”If we are to join and are accepted, would you be take care with your words and actions?” The last pack they had been in, Vera had nearly insulted and attacked the leader because he had tried to, very kindly, suggest Vera be more careful because mountain lions had been more persistent in the area, thus making him concerned for the small woman. They had slunk off in the middle of the night, at Florence’s grievance for he thought they would be kicked out the next day.

A sly grin made its way onto her young and pretty face at Florence’s words, and a giggle escaped from her maw. She knew that they both knew that it wasn’t if it suited the both of them, but if it suited her. It wasn’t just the fact that she had a hard time coming to terms with sharing her larger companion with others, but also because she was not one for completely following the rules, even if they were simple enough and didn’t require much effort – if at all – to do. Maybe the reason was because she hated to be tied down to one area, unable to be the free and wild wolf her spirit wanted her to be.

Vera turned her head to look at her larger companion as he began to speak, ears pricked forward and an open expression on her face. She always took Florence seriously and his words to heart, even if she didn’t show it, that is, unless if she knew he was joking. Then she would heed his words but not follow them, usually by expressing her own exciting ideas. More often than not those ideas turned into her adventuring off and having to be saved by him, exactly like how they first met. She could still remember every detail of that day like it was only yesterday.

She scoffed at his suggestion, which she knew to not take as an insult. It wasn’t like she purposely didn’t act disobedient, they forced her to do so with their own words and actions. However, the next time she would really try and act the ever-respectful and submissive wolf and try to show that she could in fact work with others, but only if she was given free reign now and then of her duties. “I cross my heart and hope to die, Meus militis in nitidus armatus.”

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A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Florence knew Vera needed freedom to feel like herself, to know she was nothing but her own leader. Something he could never understand himself, as he was content to follow orders given to him, if they were within reason. Never would he directly disobey a leader, unless it was for the better. Or if it was something concerning Vera.

”Let us hope those words do not ring true one day, Semel ad curo meus ardere.” Florence answered with a light tone, yet heavy with worry. He remember well the day the met, the day he found her bleeding and wounded after chasing off the coyotes away that had beaten her. He would rather not see her like that again, so blood red instead of near pure white and tears down her cheeks because of the pain. ”At least, not until your fur turns grey.” it was then the scent of something caught his attention, making him pause and lift his head to sniff the air. Deer were nearby, which meant a time to possibly catch something to eat.

”Do you smell that Nix Delibo?” He glanced down at his friend, wondering if she too had caught the smell of the herd. It would seem to outsiders that with such a small body, Vera couldn’t chase things like deer and hunt them properly. If anything, they thought only Florence could do such a thing, would he not be hunting alone. Yet the two of them had a well thought out plan, when it came to dealing with deer or similarly sized animals.

A bark of laughter burst forth from her ivory muzzle at his comment of her growing old, as if. She would never be seen with grey fur by anyone, not now, not ever. Though she wasn’t a snob or disgusted by the smallest of dirty things – actually, sometimes she felt the need to roll in the dirt, much to Florence’s displeasure – she did have pride in looking her best when possible. She had a pristine white coat, so why not show it off to the world by making sure it is clean so it screams out “Hey, look at me! I’m bold and beautiful… and you know you want to.”

When her larger companion paused, raising his muzzle to sniff the air, she quickly followed suit, her ears pricking up and tail tapping her hocks excitedly. Food! “I do Fero, I think it’s a deer herd, not far from here. If we put our talents together we could hunt ourselves a good meal.” She glanced up at him, eyes shining with anticipation as she bounced on her paws, eager to get moving. Lifting her head up she inhaled deeply before motioning with her head and speeding off in the direction the scent was originating from. With each couple of steps it grew stronger, and she could feel her body buzzing with enthusiasm.

The diminutive ivory she-wolf froze when she heard the rustle of leaves, turning her head sharply to spot in the distance the outline of a young deer in the shadows. It didn’t seem to notice them yet, and she slowly backed up until she was standing next to Florence, her eyes glued to the hoofed animal. There were no others in sight, so she haphazardly took a wild guess that it had separated or become lost from its herd. All the better for her and her companion.

“You stay here in the cover of the shadows and I’ll go around and chase it towards you,” Vera breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. She caught his eyes for a moment before slinking off in a wide arc around the young deer, her movements slow and precise. She didn’t want to scare it off and ruin their chances at having a good meal in a long time as she made her way to the desired location, where she would spring forth and chase it towards Florence’s awaiting jaws so he could make the final kill.

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