Sanguine Cove you're loud without a sound

Pack Activity: Chan is attempting to start story time with the pack, especially the children. Everyone is welcome to join, but there will not be any IC consequences for not posting. Feel free to only post once just to establish your character being present, just remember you won't be eligible for LP. (: @Moonshadow @Aleister @Nash @Aquene & Landen @Nori & Kip @Lynx @Leo @Stella @Kateri

The sky was shifting once again, painted vividly as it transitioned from day to night. Crepuscular creatures of all kind busied about, slipping and skittering through the lengthening, growing shadows all around. Chan stood outside of the pack's communal den, taking in the subtle commotion that the night's coming brought as blood dribbled through his fur. The turning of shifts, so to speak. It was similar for the wolves; this was the start to his day, while most of the others who operated best in the sunlight had already come back to roost, settling in for sleep.

Hopefully they weren't too tired. Chan dropped the fawn's body, letting it hit the earth with a thud and licking his lips clean.

"Hey," he called into the den as he peered into the darkness, searching in particular for the glint of small puppy eyes.

"Anyone up for a snack and a story?"

One, muddy eye blinked slowly in the gloom, while the other refused to open, glued shut by sleep. With careful patience, a bulky paw lifted to rub across darkening brows, twisting against the offending eye until the lids loosened, parting to show a bright orb, still as brilliantly blue as a newborn’s. Leo yawned widely, peering towards the den entrance, where the light still seemed far too bright against the dimness of the den. But the call of the familiar voice that had awoken him was alluring, as was the enticing scent that came along with it.   When Chan called again, promising not only the sweet-smelling treat, but a story as well, the tawny pup shook his head and shoulders to clear the lingering sleepiness, yawning a last time before shoving to his feet and hurrying to meet the call. If there was one thing that could entice the oldest Vusein-Kipley, even in the middle of his preferred naptime, it was the possibility of a good story.   Slipping out into the evening sun, the lanky pup brushed against his pack mate in a show of affection, wagging his tail lightly around the adult’s muzzle as he stopped to look over the carcass on the ground. The meal only held his attention for a moment though, before he turned around to look up at Chan, eyes aglow. “What story?” He asked, the quiet and precise nature of the words masking his excitement, though it was alight in every fiber of his body. “New story?” The second question carried a hint of demand, his head tilting slightly as he waited patiently for the answer. He sure hoped he hadn’t been woken up for a silly old fairy tale that had already been told to death. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Aug 11, 2021, 08:57 PM by Leo.)

Chan lowered his muzzle as Leo approached, equivocating the pup's greeting by running his chin over the youth's crown and down his spine. He then plopped his haunches down into the soil and smirked at the interest shown, not in the food, but in the prospect of a story by Aleister's son.

"You might've heard parts of it before," he said, sure that Al had shared some of the Cove's history with his children before. Chan was pretty certain they hadn't had it all laid out for them before, however, and certainly not through an Eastfall's eyes.

"Promise it's a good one."

It had taken a while for Kip to recover from giving birth, and she still wasn't running at 100%, but she was certainly doing better. Having pups was weird - definitely not bad, but not what she expected either. They were... adorable, and chatty, and energetic, and she adored them. She'd been overwhelmed at first at the prospect of raising three of them, but now she couldn't really imagine her life without the little fluffballs.

She stirred upon hearing Chan's voice, then broke into a little smile when Leo responded. The small woman got to her feet and padded over to the two of them, giving her son an affectionate nudge with her nose.

"We love a good story," she told Chan, settling down on her stomach and resting her head on her paws as she prepared to listen, her body curling in a crescent shape to invite her pup to come lay down beside her.

I think I need help, cuz I'm drowning in myself

The large inky woman slept soundly within the communal den having gone to sleep about an hour earlier. She slept soundly even as the scent of the fawn drifted into the den. It wasnt until the steadiness of conversation crept its way in did the Eastfall mother began to stir. Her silver dusted ears flicked as similarly colored pools began to show behind dark lids. Her eyes blinked to focus in the darkness, noticing that Kip and little Leo had left, she assumed they were outside with Chan. Her suspicions were confirmed as she heard the pale mother's voice outside. A sleepy smile pulled at her maw as she stood. Moon gave her long limbs a good stretch before exiting the den. She looked to the new mother and her tawny son and gave them a smile. Moonshadow moved so that she laid across from them creating a triangle like circle around the fawn and Leo. She remained silent as she mimicked Kip's position and laid her head upon her paws. Her silver dusted tail gently swept the ground as she waited for her eldest to start his tale.

Word Count: 000

The boy was intently focused on Chan, waiting for the answer. Even his mother’s touch couldn’t turn his attention away, though he titled his head into the caress. Initially, the pup was unsure about the older male’s reply, wrinkling his darkening brows in a tiny frown. But Chan’s promise made his expression clear up – he had no reason to doubt his word.   Nodding his head once, with a serious demeanor, Leo proclaimed quietly: “New story.” As if to attest an agreement. Then he turned to follow the few steps to where his mother lay, rubbing his head along her muzzle before he settled against her flank. Unlike the women, the child was far to excited to lie down, remaining seated with his back against Kip’s fur, his tail sweeping slowly over the earth at his side.   His gaze drifted briefly to Moonshadow, recognizing her presence, but returned almost instantly to Chan, wide and hungry for the promised tale. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de

Nash hadn't heard his brother's call, but he was walking past when he heard voices and paused. He heard something about a story and quietly sidled up to investigate. He smiled when he saw his mother, Kip, and little Leo all gathered around the acting alpha.

He slipped next to his mother, giving an affectionate nibble to the back of her ear. "Chan tells the best stories," he promised the pup, who he was sure didn't know who he was. Even so, Nash hoped to be friendly.

He looked back to his brother. "Which story are you going to tell today?" he asked, settling in next to his mother and shifting until he was comfortable.

No posting order, & others please feel free to still pop in at any point. I will be posting again on the 5th. Also, disclaimer: I am not in any way claiming that what Chan narrates is actually how things happened on-site. This is Chan's embellished, liberties-taken version mainly meant for the kids.

Kip and Moonshadow each stirred and joined the duo outside, both earning a welcoming smile from Chan. His tail wagged, happy that others were interested. He'd have to make sure he made it worth their while, and luckily he'd had some practice. In fact, Chan had effectively scattered fragments of the Cove's story across a large swathe of Canada during his travels, most often to other packs' youth.

New, the child emphasized. Chan rolled the fawn toward the others with his muzzle before taking a few steps back and then sitting, ready to deliver on the promise. Nash slipped in as he did so, and queried the tale's subject.

"Our history," was his simplistic answer.

"Vespertio Vuesain came to the Lore as a wolf who had only known loss. Needing something that was just his, that could never be taken from him, he forsook the forests and took to the mountain instead," Chan swung his muzzle toward the point of Mount Dire. Did the children know, that to the rest of the world they lived far up like the summit? He imagined it would be hard to without having ever seen the outside of the valley.

"He climbed, and he climbed, braving every storm, defying mountain lions, and scaling the sheerest of cliffs until, nearly all at once, the mountain fell away again to reveal... a swathe of lush forest and a crystal clear lake, completely separate from the rest of the world. Solitary. Safe. Vesper knew from first sight: this was home.

He assembled his men, found himself a queen, and thought that at last his life's work was realized. And yet something was still missing, even as it all appeared to fall into place and the pack thrived. The hole was small, but burned just the same as a wound inside his chest. He tried to ignore it, but could never quite forget the ache. It wasn't something someone can cure themselves of."

(This post was last modified: Aug 30, 2021, 11:02 PM by Chan.)

I think I need help, cuz I'm drowning in myself

Inky lips pulled back in a warm smile as little Leo looked back to her as he settled against his mother. Her gaze settled once more on her eldest son. He nudged the fawn towards them, inviting them for a snack while he told his story. The aging woman would allow other to take their choice of the fawn first then take her own pick. Moonshadow always tried to make sure those who could use the meal the most got to eat. It never occurred to her that this was not how others behaved. That in fact the higher ranking individuals were supposed to eat first. Even with that knowledge the gentle woman most likely wouldn't have behaved any differently.

Moments later Nash arrived explaining how Chan told the best stories. He settled in behind her giving his mother an affectionate nibble to the back of her ear. Her silver tipped tail thumped against the ground in response. The dark son asked his brother what story was going to be told and Chan simply answered "Our history". This intrigued Moon. Her silver dusted audits pressed forwards atop her head as her agouti boy began his tale. She smiled as he began with Vespertio, his memory filling her heart with fondness. She knew the history of the cove and was excited for it to be passed to the next generation.

Word Count: 000

Kip had to admit, she didn't really know much about the Cove's history. Her knowledge of the mountain was limited at best, so she was kind of excited to learn. And, yeah, Chan's recollection of it must've been amped up a little for Leo's sake, because Kip had never heard of a singular wolf that could face a mountain lion - or defy them, as the leader had said.

She curled tighter around her pup - it had been alarming, how quickly her demeanor had changed toward the children once they'd been born. When she was pregnant, she had been afraid that she wouldn't care for them like she should, but now it was hard to imagine life without them. She nuzzled her son's ear before laying her head down, seafoam eyes traveling back over to Chan to focus her attention on him again.