Thicket of Secrets And who are you?

Her new acquaintance kept right on working, but Karina was still just standing there trying to process the information that was coming at her. She knew that there were other packs in the big wide world, but she was shocked that they were so close. She would never have imagined that a little walk in the woods could bring her face-to-face with THE prince of Black Thorn Downs. Her world had been expanding drastically ever since she set paw outside her birth den, but this was the first time she felt it shrink a little bit. It was a nice feeling. Maybe she and Aleksei could take a couple days, make a little circuit around her Cut Rock River homeland, and meet all the wolves in the whole world! Then no one would ever be a stranger, which was the worst thing in the world in Karina’s mind. She hated strangers. You never knew what they looked like until they were right up close, but you couldn’t let them right up close because who even knew if they were a good wolf or a bad wolf?

The girl was still watching the Downs prince when the stranger emerged. Ugh! It was like she had thought about it, and then it happened! The pup growled and leapt away from the newcomer, turning to face the female with a puppyish rumble in her throat. The hair stood up on the back of her neck as she lowered herself to the ground in a fear reaction. The woman didn’t come any closer, instead introducing herself in a soothing voice. Karina wasn’t sure what to do. Before she met Kova she couldn’t remember ever having to introduce herself on her own. Usually Orren was there to divert attention from her, and Aleksei was there to investigate the stranger and introduce Karina for her. Thankfully Kova began stammering out an apology of some sort, and Karina was allowed time to think about the new development.

Kova didn’t seem particularly upset by Firefly’s appearance—in fact he seemed to know her quite well. That put Karina at ease, but only a little. Still on her belly, she inched forward trying to get a good look at the stranger’s face. Karina was still of the age that she thought you could tell if a wolf was good or bad by looking at them. By the time attention was directed back to her, she had decided she liked Firefly. She had a sweet voice and a calm face, and she was so small… like the River’s scout Naia. Naia always brought her trinkets from her travels and told the pups stories. If Firefly was like Naia, then Karina would like her a lot.

”Karina,” she finally squeaked out. The pup rose from her position on the ground, moving slowly toward Firefly with a curious expression. Kova talked about their homeland—a field of blackberries with no blackberries. When she was younger a tree had nearly fallen on her and she spent a few weeks cowering in the den, deathly afraid of the Attack Trees before she grew old enough to realize the difference between animals which moved on their own and plants which didn’t. Since then Karina had rather liked trees for the protection they provided.. she couldn’t imagine having to live out in the open like these Downs wolves. Maybe that’s why Kova didn’t seem to be afraid of anything. ”Noble,” Karina said, latching onto the name like Kova had tossed her a life preserver. ”I want to meet Noble,” she said, first to Kova and then turning to look at Firefly. ”And I want to see the field. Even if there’s no blackberries.” Her jaw set in that way it always did when she was about to get really stubborn.

Word of the Day Firefly's lips pursed when Kova nonchalantly offered a semi-meaningful apology. If it had been anybody else, Fly might have said something about it but with Kova she found it hard to stay mad. Even as the boy revealed the location of their den she couldn't be angry with her silver prince, only uneasy with the situation. Finally, once the boy, who usually seemed so observant but seemed very oblivious to Fly and the girl pup's unease, stopped rambling. Fly noticed the girl warily moving closer, before piping up to introduce herself as "Karina". Fly certainly didn't take the girl to be a hoyden, and was surprised when Karina said in an almost demanding tone that she wanted to meet Noble and see the fields. Again, Fly's lips pursed but this time it was caused by uncertainty instead of frustration. In truth, Fly had no idea how pack relations were between Black Thorn Downs and the other packs and she didn't know which pack this girl belonged to. Taking her to the fields could be dangerous, but this girl was only a pup. What harm could come from letting two pups play together for a little while longer? Fly took a deep breath and met Karina's odd gaze"Well, I don't think thats a good idea. For now, anyway." Fly had never belonged to a pack before and wasn't completely sure of all of the rules. Of course she knew better than to tell a stranger all of her pack's secrets, but letting these two pups get to know each other seemed harmless enough. She would need Minka's permission before ever brining another wolf onto their territory, but certainly Kova could stay and talk to Karina with Firefly's supervision. "But if you would like, Kova and I could stay here and play with you for a while longer." Afterall, Fly couldn't deny that she was curious about the girl pup as well. Her eyes seemed so odd and Fly was hoping to figure out why by the end of the visit. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

I just love both of your guys's tables. <3

Kova frowned as Karina demanded to see Noble. The Lagina only really wanted to play with Karina, though having a third player in hide and go seek might be fun. He actually loved the idea of bringing her to his blackberry fields, but of course Firefly being the only adult there, gently refused that idea. Instead she said that they "could stay for a while longer," and Kova knew what that meant. He and Firefly would be leaving pretty soon. At least that's what always happened when his mother or father said those words. A little whine slipped through his jaws as he scuffed at the earth. "We can go to the waterfall thing another time. I want to stay with Karina a little longer. We haven't finished getting the head off the deer." Kova made a pouting face before moving towards the deer again and draping his two front legs over the neck and skull of the rotting carcass. Sure the boy was getting down and dirty, but that was what boys did. Even if their mothers might yell at them later for tracking disgusting paw prints throughout the den. "Help me." Kova growled as he tensed his muscles and shoved hard against the neck of the deer. He pushed as hard as he could, but could only hear the ligaments twist with a gross noise as they strained against the pups weight. He relaxed for a few moments before stepping back and practically body slamming the skull. His shoulder hooked under the neck as Kova used all his might to push.

SalsolaStock @DA, Eirian-stock & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

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Thanks! It's my first one.. I still can't figure out how to fade the picture into the rest of the table. xD Kova's is gorgeous too-- very regal.

The girl peered at Firefly with a dubious expression. ”Why?” she questioned, though she knew good and well why she couldn’t go with them. She didn’t have permission, they were a strange pack, her parents would freak out, blah, blah.. Karina turned away from Firefly without waiting for an answer, shaking her head in disappointment. Adults just didn’t get it. Firefly mentioned that they could play for a little while longer, and that at least brought a smile to the girl’s face. That was good; it would have been difficult to get those antlers without help! Karina trotted up to the carcass, delighted that Kova had already taken the cause back up. Kova called for help and she joined in with gusto, tugging on the antlers as he wedged his body in the crook of the dead beast’s neck and pushed. The ligaments began popping and Karina pulled harder. Victory was so close she could practically taste it. Her cloudy eyes rolled in her head to search for Firefly—with one more wolf pulling they would probably get it.

Karina never saw whether Firefly joined them or not, but with an echoing snap the head finally parted from the rest of the carcass. Karina toppled backwards as the skull rolled away, and the pup giggled with joy even though her head was spinning. She stood and took a few dizzy steps, trying to orient herself to a right-side-up world. ”Kova?” she giggled, staggering toward his blurry form, ”Where did it go?” She blinked her large blue eyes, sweeping the forest with her strange gaze until she zeroed in on the skull—it was a somewhat slower process for her than it would have been for most other pups. Eventually the ground beneath her paws steadied, and she pranced over to their prize as proud as any pup could be. The next challenge would be to separate the antlers: Kova definitely deserved his share of the payoff. ”Let’s drop it off something really really high!” she suggested, turning to face Kova with a grin of pure excitement. What could be more fun than throwing breakable stuff off of super high ledges?

Fly scowled when Kova whined, but with a deep breathe she realized that she would have done the same at his age. In fact, she was sure that she had done the same to her mother when she was a pup. When Kova admitted that he was no longer interested in the springs and would rather stay and play with Karina, Fly's feelings were hurt. She had been so happy that the boy seemed to like swimming and fishing as much as she did, but she wouldn't hold it against him. Once again, she realized that she would have made a similar choice at his age. She watched as Kova put his attention back to the deer and started working on detaching the head from the body. He called for help and Karina was happy to oblige but the two still seemed to be struggling. Fly smiled and happy to be of service took a place beside Karina and grabbed an antler of her own. With her and Karina pulling and Kova pushing the head finally popped off. Though Fly was able to brace herself and let go of the antler on time, Karina was pushed back and rolled over by the momentum of the head being snapped off. Fly giggled as the young she wolf got to her paws and took a few uncertain steps, giggling and calling out to Kova. The young girl pup looked around, blue eyes searching for the skull they had won. Fly watched curiously and noted that it took the girl a little longer to locate the skull than it might have taken another pup. Curiously, Fly wondered if the girl's vision was impaired. That might explain the odd film over her eyes. Karina piped up in an excited tone, interrupting Fly's thoughts. Drop it off something high? Fly twitched her nose as she considered this idea. It was certainly a better idea than going to the blackberry fields. It might be a little dangerous, but she would be there to help them. And she couldnt just keep telling them no to everything. If they were anything like she had been as a pup, which they very well seemed to be, then she would have a mutiny on her hands if she kept telling them no. Fly nodded to Karina's idea and glanced at Kova. "That sounds okay to me. Just be careful." Kova was beginning to take on the form of an adult wolf by now and she would have to start treating him like one. "Speech"

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ERMAGOD I'm so sorry for this being late @Karina

Kova pushed as hard as he could. The sickly popping noises urged him to continue even if his muscles screamed to stop. With all three of the wolves working together the antlered head of the deer cracked once then twice before it popped clean off of the neck of the carcass. The force sent the pups sprawling across the earth before they were able to right themselves. Kova had landed over the neck and chest of the deer carcass since he had been pushing in that direction. His blue eyes widened as the Downs prince shook his head and glanced around at the carnage. He spotted the deer head immediately and began to rise up before he spots Karina looking around. Confused for a moment, because the head and antlers were clearly visible, Kova strode over to Karina. "Did you hit your head hard and get hurt? The head is right over there." Kova gestured to the thick skull before noticing her eyes. All this time he had thought that they were a grayish blue in color, but now that he looked more closely; Kova could see that they were clouded. Taken back at the sight, Kova steps backwards and looks over Karina. He watches her saunter over to the antlers and exclaim that they should drop them from something high up. He was still bothered by her ghostly eyes, but the boy wisely kept his innocent question to himself as the girl flashed them a wide smile. She didn't seemed bothered by her...problem. "Uh... Yeah, sure. Is there someplace like that nearby?" He asked rather distractedly. The boys gray tail was hung low now even though it stuck out a bit from unease.

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The River pup ignored Kova’s question about her hitting her head, assuming her was just teasing her like her brothers would in the same situation. She was grateful for his help in locating the skull though, barking her happy thanks as she ran to their prize. After making her excited suggestion she looked up from the skull, tail wagging uncontrollably, to find that both Kova and Firefly were looking at her with very odd expressions. ”What?” she questioned, her tail settling as her enthusiasm cooled. She cocked her head to the side as she tried to figure out what she had done wrong. Kova agreed to her plan with an odd note of hesitancy in his voice, and suddenly Karina realized why the pair was acting strange.

”Are you.. .You’re not..?” Karina took a few steps toward Kova, peering at him with concern. ”Are you afraid of heights?” she finally asked, choosing her words and tone carefully. Her brothers—well really just Orren--would have teased her mercilessly for something like that, and she had no intention of putting Kova through such torture. ”I passed a really high creekbed on my way here..” she answered, and then added quickly, ”But we don’t have to go. We can think of something else.” She smiled reassuringly at poor Kova, who was probably terrified at just the thought of a high creekbed. Karina’s blue gaze flicked briefly to Firefly, looking for some kind of sign on how to proceed. You could never be too delicate when dealing with a person's specters.

Firefly's lips twisted into a grimace as she watched the uncomfortable scene unfold. Kova, Fly was sure, had been curious about Karina's vision as well. He was a very observant boy and had probably noticed how it took her a while to find the skull and he couldn't have overlooked the glossy film over her eyes. However, Karina mistook Kova's unease as a sign of fear and in a heartbreakingly sincere, kind tone asked the grey prince if he was afraid of heights. The Cut Rock River pup looked to Fly, as if hoping that Fly knew how to handle Kova's fear. With a sigh, Firefly nudged Kova before he could answer her and nodded to Karina. "Nope, Black Thorn Down wolves aren't afraid of anything." Fly said with a playful wink."Lead the way, princess." With a flick of her fluffy red tail, Fly gestured for Karina to lead the group to the creekbed. She hoped that both pups would be distracted from exploring the awkward moment any further by their excitement to complete Mission: Destroy the Skull. If the girl wasn't forthcoming about any visions problems, Fly assumed it wasn't a good topic to approach. As curious as she was, she did not want to upset the pup. So as she waited to see if Karina would lead her and Kova to the creekbed, Firefly went to work concocting a kind and sensitive way of bringing up the girl's vision and hazy blue eyes. She hoped that once she brought it up, Kova would allow her to ask the questions. "Speech"

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Kova shuddered indignantly as Karina asked whether he was afraid of heights. Instantly his attention on her eyes vanished as Kova puffed out his chest fur and hitched both his head and tail higher. The boy didn't know what being in a "high place" really was. He had been born and raised on flat land, so he didn't even know if he was afraid of this thing called "heights." So the silver prince gave a dreadfully confident smile to Karina as he pranced up to her. Firefly's voice rang in his ears though Kova had missed her wink towards him. "I'm not afraid of anything!" He proudly exclaimed before giving Karina a peeved look. His tail flicked left and right while he looked past her. His mind raced with memories of the times he had been scared. Once when he met a stranger near the border he had been a little frightened. However the most frightening moment he could think up so far was when he had first encountered the moose. He had truly been scared for his life in the beginning of that confrontation. "Where is this high place? I want to see it." He said after she mentioned thinking of something else to do. He wasn't going to let her change the subject. They were going to break those antlers and they would do it at that high creek bed she had mentioned. Kova waited with an expectant look on his face for Karina to start leading them towards this place she had found. He glanced to the antlers ready t help carry them if Karina needed help.

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Kova puffed up defensively as soon as Karina asked the question, and she realized that instead of hurting his feelings she had hurt his pride. ”Oh..” Was her short answer to Firefly’s remark, although just as she said it something that looked like fear seemed to be passing across Kova’s face as he stared off into the distance. If there was anything Karina knew well, it was fear. For most of her short life fear had dominated her waking moments and defined her development—it was hard to Karina to think of a time when she hadn’t been at least a little afraid of something. ”Then I’m glad you’re here,” she admitted, smiling shyly at Kova, ”..’Cause I’m afraid of everything.” Usually Aleksei acted as her living, breathing security blanket—but today that could be Kova. Kova and Aleksei were a lot alike: both of them weren’t afraid of anything.

The weight of her admission was feeling increasingly awkward to Karina, and she realized a little belatedly that the others were waiting for her to lead. She couldn’t recall ever leading before. How strange, to know about something that someone else—an adult someone else—didn’t know about at all! Her confidence restored somewhat, the pup ran to the skull and nudged it with her nose. It rolled about 90 degrees and hitched to stop by one of the horns. She carefully fit her jaw around the upward-facing horn, looking very silly indeed with her head cocked to the side at a weird angle and eyes bulging, searching around for help.

The trio didn’t have to travel far; Karina’s wanderings were usually large circular patterns and didn’t involve much distance. Karina dropped her side of the skull and rushed to the edge of the creekbed, lowering her body to the ground as she looked over the side. The little creek, likely an offshoot of the mighty River Karina’s pack was named for, was all but dry.. though Karina thought she might spy a little frozen trickle on the rocks below. Once they threw the antlers it would be quite a hike to make it down into the ravine. Thankfully she had Kova with her, and he wasn’t afraid of anything. ”Ready?” she asked, turning to her partner in crime. Her body was quivering, but for once it was excitement instead of fear.