Dragonveil Fold Woe is the Wayward Daughter

Fires on the Horizon and Sonnet is lost! Minor gash, bruises, and coughing caused by the smoke. No serious injuries <3 AW, but tagging parents @Spartan and @Isomne

Sonnet is 9 weeks and 5 days; Adults abandon the birthing den and move the pups to a rendezvous site (these are used from mid-May through mid-October and packs may have as many 3 or 4 different locations). Weaning completes, and they can now feed on food that an adult provides. Adult hairs become fully apparent on the head and face. Vocabulary at the end of 9 weeks should have skyrocketed to about a thousand words. Puppies are capable of repeating four-syllable words and parroting what adults say in their midst. Their ability to successfully follow speech rhythm is poor but still understandable ("Uncle Triell" vs. "Ung-kull Treeee-yell"). They are also able to grasp the concept of time (ie. morning, day, evening, night, today, tomorrow).

Ash fell down from the sky, landing on the child and staining her snow white with sooty patches. Her eyes were watery and stung from the smoke that clogged her airways. She wheezed, coughing every few steps. "Mommy." She called out softly. Sonnet was unfamiliar with the feeling increasing within her. Her life had been calm and safe until now, nothing threatened the little family's sanctuary. She frowned, quietly walking away from the stream in search of her parents. She'd gone for her usual morning stroll to the water's edge but it'd been filthy and fowl-tasting. She didn't understand.

She began making her way back to where her family resided when a thunderous sound caused her to glance up. The pup froze, baby blues widening as she let out a shrill cry of terror. Something big was running at her and it wasn't alone. The pup continued to scream as she turned to run away, but they were coming faster than she could move. Tiny paws stumbled about as she desperately tried to flee. Hooves smashed down all around the child, causing her to dart in and out with panicked squeals. "Da! Da!" She cried out helplessly as the stampede continued all around her. A sharp hoof grazed the child's side, and somehow she emitted a cry more violent than all the ones before.

The herd was turning, sweeping her along in their midst, to avoid the creek. She continued to run and run, legs growing weary as she maneuvered between the beasts. Finally a way out and she jumped, tumbling down a hill into an unfamiliar wooded section of the Fold. She lay there stunned and disoriented; flat on her side, the air knocked out of her tiny body, wanting to cry but was unable. Time continued on as she merely stared blankly ahead for several minutes if not an hour.

After awhile of fluttering in and out of consciousness she tenderly sat up. Droplets formed along the brim of her eyes and rolled down her face. The aching child gingerly stood up and glanced around at the tall trees that surrounded her. Where was she? This area of the woods didn't look like where she and @Pan would play. The girl started to walk around aimlessly, glancing at the various pathways left by deer and other animals. The once white pup was now unrecognizable, soiled by the dirt and ash that covered her head to toe. She went a ways before attempting to call out, but her voice was gone. Had she not used it enough? Was she so quiet with her words she had become like her da? Her attempts triggered another smoke-induced cough. Her body shook from a violent fit that followed suit. She couldn't stop and it was so hard to breathe.

(This post was last modified: Jul 15, 2023, 08:02 PM by Sonnet.)

Tonight we make our dreams come true
**Sonnet hasn't spoken since losing her family.

They could not stay here any longer.

The smoke and ash and traveling herds would dislodge the family. It seemed to settle heavily in the veil. It had already seemed to want to when he realized one daughter had gone missing. He wasted no time in the way he turned over earth to find her. Tiny children could not make it so far.

Yet still he feared he'd be greeted with demise by the time he found her.

Where she was sooty and coughing. His heart roared violently in his chest, enough that he barked out loud and sharp.

I am here, he wished to say. Yet he could only act and sought to sweep her up into him. To become protection and shelter from the dangerous world around them.

spartan does not speak!

Sonnet heard her father's bark and turned to look. She was safe! Her da was here! Quickly she found herself wrapped up in the safety of his embrace, burying herself into his thick white fur. The dirt on her pelt spread to his. She croaked out a noise meant to be a word but was unable to properly speak with the hoarseness of her throat. Leaning back from him Sonnet looked up, tears streaming from baby blue eyes, and let out another cough straight into his face.

She smiled up at him and gave him several joyful licks to the chin. Despite being tired from her misadventure, it seemed the reunion brought a second wind. Sonnet was happy to be found and no longer lost! Now they could go home and snuggle with Mommy and Pan...unless...would Da be lost too? She whimpered, looking away from him towards the smoke that hung in the air. She hid herself against her father, despite the stark difference between them caused by the soot. The small gash on her side was crusted over with dried blood and visible as well.

Tonight we make our dreams come true
**Sonnet hasn't spoken since losing her family.

His goal would be to scoop her up by her scruff, now that they stood reunited. The walk home would not be a particularly easy or short one, but he was prepared. He had training on his side for his endurance. Even if he had only dealt with freezing temperatures and not the swath of smoke that seemed to weave like serpents along the mountain.

Yet all had become vibrantly clear from this one instance.

Spartan would rally his family, they would move away and towards somewhere safer. Out of the heavy clouds of smoke and where water would stay clean. Where herds might not frenzy in a way that endangered them all.

With his daughter, he began the slow trek home and listened closely to her along the way.

spartan does not speak!

Sonnet's little body lifted from the ground, safely secured in her father's grasp. She was grateful to have him carry her so that she didn't have to walk. Happier to simply have him nearby. She yawned, jaws stretching apart as a loud squeak escaped. He started the journey, and she was content to watch the scenery bob with his movements. The smoke was unpleasant, but now she didn't have to face it alone. Still, her eyes would sting and water. Each breath she took would be shallow and painful.

After a while of dangling from his mouth, swaying back and forth, her mind threatened to shut off. Her eyes slowly drooping shut. She would drift in and out of sleep throughout their trek, either coughing for a moment before slipping back into sleep or merely glancing around watching for any familiar sights.

Tonight we make our dreams come true
**Sonnet hasn't spoken since losing her family.