Broken Timber Pines If Life's a Game then I Guess I Should Play

Puppy play time! @Arion @Bracken @Ember - but probably not all at once, since Nalda'll probably run away xD

- Late morning, Partly Cloudy - 72 ° F/22 ° C

A light breeze whisked through the pines, bringing with it the scents of the surrounding lands. A small, black nose wrinkled at the contact with the wind, but otherwise didn't react; she knew these smells. A light sigh shook through Nalda's tiny body and she stretched out her stubby legs, placing her head down on her paws. She was lying in the shadow of one of the still standing trees, having discovered that the direct sunlight was to hot on her dark fur. This particular spot had become one of her favorites - as she had gotten more used to living in the pack, and was starting to spend less and less time in the den, instead preferring to lie outside and rest when her parents weren't around, so she could study the surroundings. Here, in the shade of one of the shorter cedars, she felt protected, curled up with her back against the trunk, and only a few steps away from the safety of her den. But the young Zamora was starting to get bored. As she grew, her needs expanded from simple safety and survival, and her curiosity increased. Already, she had taken a few trips out into the pine forest she had come to know as Broken Timbers, but the possibility of running into other pack members still held her back most of the time. The mare thought of standing face to face with any of these strangers on her own, filled the shy girls heart with dread; She still wished her family could have remained alone, without all these others around them. With another, heavy sigh, Nalda shifted on the dry needles, stretching out on her side with one ear pressed against the ground. Her eyes drifted over the surroundings, pausing at the entrance to each den in the little clearing, and she wondered what they looked like on the inside. She knew who lived there, the slender, grey woman with her little black boy, and next to them, the more compact, crème colored wolfess that had been there on the day of the Zamoras' arrival, and she had two daughters. So far, Nalda had done her best to stay away from the other children, only watching them from a distance, quickly retreating to her own den if they showed her too much attention. Part of her was curious about these age mates, other children like herself, but mostly her apprehension won out and she stayed near her dad an mama, preferring to stick with what she knew and felt safe with. However both Camio and Nova had other responsibilities, and there were times when they would have to leave their daughter to herself. Like now. She wasn't completely alone though, she knew at least one of the adults and some of the pups were lurking within those dens, maybe looking out at her right now. She shivered lightly, pressing her ears back against her head, she hoped they would stay in there. Word count: 497 ”Speech”

Starna @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

Little did the Zamora know that she was indeed being watched from one of those other dens. Ember had just woken from a long sleep. She had exhausted herself last night in the obstacle course of the broken pines, so she couldn't bring herself to wake at her normal ridiculously early hour. But at last the pale pup was up, and all the energy she had accumulated in her slumber was quivering like static electricity from tip of the ears to tip of the tail. She could only stand to watch that pup across the way so long before she simply had to act. Besides, Ember had seen this pup before and had never had the chance to meet her.

Maybe the stranger would be good at fighting! Ember had grown used to her sister's style, so she thought it high time that she found a new opponent. Friend. Friend to fight with. Nevermind -- no more delay! The Timber princess leapt into the sunlight and dipped into a hearty stretch as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. Then she grinned at the dark form barely visible in the shade and started on her way over. Ember wanted to run, so eager was she to meet at last this pup, but the lingering stiffness of sleep moderated her pace to a walk.

Halfway to her destination, the pale princess stopped. She turned her head and sniffed at the air. Was Bracken up yet? Arion? Ember was confident enough to greet the stranger on her own, but the more the merrier! More meant more elaborate and thus more fun games, and with that prospect, Ember would be willing to postpone a wrestling match. Without advancing any further so as to increase the chance of the others hearing her, Ember barked a greeting toward the shadow-clad pup.  Hiya!

@Ember Please excuse Nalda's absolute lack of enthusiasm xP

The murky girl could have kicked herself when it seemed her thoughts had transcended her mind and inspired the world to play her a trick. Another pup came bounding out, one of Iopah's daughters, the lighter, smaller one. Nalda didn't much care which as she crept further backwards into the shadows, wishing dearly that the other child would not spot her. She was in no luck though, as the creamy pup almost immediately started towards her, walking briskly, every hair on her pelt seeming to quiver with excited energy. The darker girl stopped a small whine in her threat, swallowing hard and pressing her head down against the ground, cornflower eyes fixed on the approacher. Suddenly though, the light-pelted pup paused, lifting her head to sniff at the air. Nalda sighed lowly as a breath that had been stuck in her throat was released, hopefully the other girl had gotten distracted by something else and would wonder off, forgetting about the lass under her tree, leaving her to herself once more. Still, her curiosity was stirred and while the peach colored pup's snout was in the air, she discreetly lifted her own, breathing in deeply to see what it was the other was scenting. She couldn't find anything of interest though, and quickly returned her chin to her outstretched paws, eyes once more locked on the other. Just in time too, as the pale lass returned her own gaze to Nalda, speaking so suddenly that the timid girl almost twitched. She simply stared back, unsure how to react to this unexpected, informal greeting. This was something she knew she should have anticipated, something that needed to happen, and yet she wished it hadn't been today. "Uhm... Hi." She finally answered, voice low and completely lagging the other's excitement. Her head remained on the ground, bat like ears pressed back, and eyes never wavering. Word count: 313 ”Speech”

Starna @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

hope you don't mind little Ari joining in :3 he'll stay off to the side mostly for Nalda <3

Stranger! Little R was curious as to who the newcomer was – she was not a sister of his favourite playmates or else he would have already encountered her… Did he have a sister? No, that was ridiculous. If he had a sibling Arion knew that his parents would have mentioned something – they would not keep something so exciting hidden from him! With a half-frown etched across his dark features, the boy remained where he was, quietly observing the tawny creature. As much as he wanted to go out greet the little fluff she did not appear to be as energetic as the sisters, who were always willing to engage in play. There was something off about the stranger, but not in a bad way. Just different.

Without warning, one of his playmates – Ember – appeared with a cheerful greeting. It seemed to take the new girl a moment to gather herself and muster up a response, which only fueled the curiosity that burned inside of him. Stepping out from the edge of the den he approached the pair slowly, not wanting to startle the timid girl with his sudden presence. He paused several tail-lengths away from both of them with a bright, toothy smile and a hurricane tail. “Hi Emby!” He chirped in greeting to the little girl he had gotten to know quite well since his exposure to the world outside his family’s den. “Hi girlie,” he chirped once more, his denim blue’s focused on the stranger. He did not move any closer as Arion was worried that the little girl would go running off if he closed in on her. The last thing the shadow wanted to do was scare off the new girl – that would probably get a scolding!

(This post was last modified: Jul 31, 2015, 07:57 AM by Arion. Edit Reason: coding issues :3 )

Sorry for being so slow!

Finally, Ember picked up on the dark-coated girl's lack of enthusiasm, and she halted in her tracks. Her tail kept wagging at a moderate pace, for the princess was no less excited, but she paused with tilted head, gazing toward the eyes in the shadow as she tried to figure out why the other pup would be so timid. A sudden chirp distracted Ember, and she turned her head to respond to the greeting. "Hi R!"

It looked like Arion picked up on the shadow pup's shyness too. When he halted in his advance, the cinnamon princess reconsidered her own approach. She didn't want to scare off a potential playmate, after all! But what was there to be scared of? Ember had no intention to hurt the murky pup. What if she was lonely, but was just too scared to make friends? Well, that would have to be fixed immediately! Ember couldn't bear to see a fellow pup lacking a playmate when there were so many other pups around.

With this in mind, Ember started forward again. She had to show the shadow pup that there was nothing to fear. The pale girl's advance was much slower this time, and she wore a friendly smile to encourage the stranger. When Ember was still several steps away, she lowered herself down until she was lying in the grass, facing what she hoped would become her newest friend. In as calm a voice as she could muster, she spoke: "I'm Ember. What your name?"

To the tiny Zamora's dread, another pup appeared, dark form separating from the shadows of the smaller of the dens. Of course, like the others, she had seen him around, knew that he was son of the silvery female and her inky mate, but as with Iopah's daughters, the murky girl knew only what she had gathered from quiet observation. Luckily, the boy seemed more restrained, settling himself at a distance, and for a moment the pale girl followed suit. A relieved sigh escaped Nalda's maw, her ears tentatively flipping up as the shadowy lad addressed her. She snorted internally, looking the boy over with curious yet cautious eyes. Unlike her, he appeared to be completely jet black, even his eyes darker than her cornflower blues, and he was notably smaller, probably because he was younger than her. Attention was torn from the male pup though, when the other suddenly continued her advance, slower now, expression more carefully forthcoming than manic; But it was still the opposite of what Nalda wanted. Instinctively pulling away, the dark lass lifted herself up into a seat, chin slightly tugged as she watched the sandy girl skeptically. The two pups had greeted each other happily, obviously they were good friends, Nalda knew that they played together, why couldn't they just play with each other and leave her alone? But Ember seemed determine to interact, despite the other girl's hardest attempts at showing her disinterest. The gesture didn't go unnoticed though, and Nalda raised her eyebrows slightly as the opposing pup crumbled to the grass, introducing herself in a surprisingly mild tone. The Zamora swallowed, eyes flicking nervously between the two pups, she felt surrounded. There was no way out though, and despite her desire to keep ignoring them, she had been taught some manners. Finally, settling her eyes on the female, since she was closest, the murky child replied: "My name is Nalda." It might have sounded mocking, had her voice not been shaking so much. Still, she attempted a pointed gaze at the boy, thrusting her chin out defiantly; He wasn't gonna go around calling her 'girly'. Then she looked at him expectantly, it was his turn now. Her russet ears were flopped out to the sides, hanging rather pitifully, but she refused to back down, now that she had been forced to confront them, she would do her name honor, no Zamora was gonna run away, and as long as she remained seated, she could even keep her tail from slipping between her legs. Word count: 422 ”Speech”

Starna @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

Unlike any other wolf the little smudge had encountered, Arion was not sure what to make of the newest addition to the Pines. It was very apparent that she wanted nothing to do with them, and would much rather be on her own. However, R felt that if they were to live in the same vicinity they needed to at least acknowledge each other. Iopah wouldn’t be pleased finding out that the newest pup was being shunned by her daughter and the beta’s son.

His typical sunny disposition was being shadowed by the girl’s nonchalant demeanor. She seemed disinterested in their appearance, only retorting back with a bit of a snappy introduction. It seemed that she was not particularly fond of him addressing her as ‘girlie’ … fair enough. With a slight frown to grace his delicate features, the boy allowed his denim gaze to fall upon his companion, curious as to what her thoughts on Nalda were. As much as he wanted to believe that it was because of her recent entry into the pack that she seemed so cold and distant, R was also wondering if it was just who she was. For the sake of both his mother and Iopah, the little smudge needed to give her the benefit of the doubt. She was probably just nervous and wasn’t up to having an audience—something like that.

With his soft gaze returning to her tawny figure, his previous frown dissipated momentarily as he spoke. “I’m Arion,” he introduced quickly with a soft nod and a swish of his tail. Unlike Ember, Nalda did not seem like the chatty type… he wasn’t sure where else to go with the conversation. Looking expectantly at his partner in crime, he waited for more words to fall from her mouth, as he didn’t want his own speech to clutter the air. Could it be possible that she would become one of their playmates, or did she prefer to play on her own? As much as he hoped for the former, the latter was become more and more apparent…

For once, Ember didn't mind sitting still. An easy smile graced the pale princess's features to disguise the relative intensity of her concentration. Something was not quite right with this Nalda, and Ember would see to it that she figured out why as soon as possible. The pup in question seemed to simultaneously droop and sit tall, to speak with confidence in a wavering voice. It was almost like there were two personalities struggling for expression in one body! What a funny thought!

Arion was easy enough to figure out. Bluebell eyes rested on the raven boy as he gave his introduction, and Ember could see that he was also eager to make a new friend, but unsure how to approach the pup before him. When Arion's voice fell back into silence, Ember figured it would be up to her to take charge. After all, she was a princess, and princesses were supposed to be in control and to get whatever they wanted! Ember's smile broadened slightly in approval toward her friend, and she turned her attention back to Nalda with a glimmer of energy in her eyes.

"Nalda." It was an effort retaining a calm tone of voice, but Ember was doing her best. "Good to meet you!" Tawny tail began wagging across the surface of the dirt. Ember told herself she did that on purpose, but really her tail seemed to be acting on its own will. "Always I see you alone. Don't you want to play?" Now the princess was standing with her tail wagging unhindered. That was intentional too, she decided. Sitting so still and serious for so long was hard and boring, after all. Ember really hoped that Nalda would open up at the invitation to play, but the curious pup really had no idea how to expect the other to react.