Iridescent Lagoon Family Ties...

It was early morning, before dawn, and Jade traveled nearly aimless through the lands of relic lore. She was searching for Steel, her long-lost brother, but had come up empty so far. She hadn't met any strange wolves recently, so she walked with a small air of confidence. As unsure as she was about wolves that she did not know, she was utterly at home with nature and solitude. The wild lands called to her and she loved the feel of them. She had a strange affinity with it that was hard to explain, but that she reveled in. It seemed that the only time that she was truly free was when she was on her own in a pristine wilderness.

The foster family that had taken her in as a yearling had been baffled by her desire to be alone, but she had never shared the details of her background with them. It would have shed some light for them, but she'd never felt 'at home' enough to give that much of herself to another. In her first year, all that she had known was beatings and ridicule from her mother and the occasional glimmer of compassion from her stoic brother. He was everything that she was not. He was everything that Mother had wanted her to be. An now, he was the only family that she had left... and still, he eluded her.

Lost in thought the tiny wolf padded on, embracing the feel of the breeze and the scent of lavender drifting towards her. She had always loved the purple flower, finding it wonderfully calming. Feeling drawn towards the the flowers, Jade followed the scent and smiled as the delicate bouquet of the blossoms grew stronger. When she came upon the large cluster of lavender flowers, she gasped in amazement. They were growing near a large lake that almost seemed unreal in its stillness. A slight breeze came and kissed the still water, causing almost a shimmering effect with the subsequent ripple. Absolutely amazing!

Jade waded through the blossoms and they seemed as if they parted way for her as she approached the water. She lowered her head and delicately lapped at the cool water, almost hating to disturb the glass-like surface, even so slightly. Thirst slaked, Jade lay down, sphinx-like, facing the water. She closed her sage green eyes and shivered with pleasure as the slight breeze combed through her lush pelt and the perfume of the blossoms surrounded her and clung to her fur. As far as the little wolf was concerned, this was as close to heaven on earth as she would ever come.

OOC: Jen, you play Jade beautifully! NOTE TO SELF: Before Jessie met Cali.

It was morning, the flowers were starting to blossom and the promises whispered along the land that spoke legends about what was to happen in the future. No one was to know though. . .it was a secret to all living things that could talk and breath. The lands among Relic Lore had been whispering to each other. . .telling each land of how new things were in store each year for another happening. The fact that mating season was finally over lifted much stress off of Jessie‘s shoulders. She wouldn‘t have to worry about any males hitting on her while she went around in Relic Lore in search of her sister. It only meant that sooner or later, more trouble would arrive. Not many wolves liked trouble in Relic Lore, though fights seemed to come and go as it was.

The black and white wolf had met two wonderful wolves since arriving in Relic Lore. . .and one. . .not so pleasant one. She had met Sloane while searching for her sister and the two had become friends, more or less so and she had enjoyed her time with her thoroughly. Meanwhile, she soon encountered two other wolves. Reed, a respectable old man, who‘s company she had grown to like, and Follko, a male that had not pleased her what so ever. He had been quite rude to her and she had not appreciated that. . .then he had even gone as far as asking if they would have liked to join his pack, something that had disgusted her thoroughly. If the rest of his pack acted like the cocky bastard he had been to her, she sure as Hell didn‘t want to meet him again.

Her tail swayed slightly behind her as she walked through the trees of the swampy area, she hadn’t gotten used to all of the territories around Relic Lore, but she had been enjoying herself since arriving. Most wolves had seemed quite decent and she didn’t mind a respectable wolf to meet her and there. It seemed she would be having company quite soon too. As she sat by the lake, another scent quickly lapsed through the air. The wolf was female and she didn’t seem to smell like Grizzly Hollow pack, which she didn’t mind, at all. Another wolf that wasn’t in pack affairs pleased her highly and she wouldn’t mind meeting someone new today. She was in a pleasantly good mood throughout the day.

Soon enough, the female entered through the shadowy trees and took a drink, Did she not smell Jessie? There was no way that was possible. She was right there, not even a few yards away from the wolf. She wasn’t transparent was she? Checking her small black and white body, she confirmed she was not having a dream and that she wasn’t translucent. Twitching her ears slightly she cleared her throat gently, as to not startle the other wolf out of her own fur. The girl seemed slightly older than her but about the same size, something that might come in handy if this female was aggressive, which she hoped would not be the case.

Jade felt her muscles begin to go liquid as she relaxed, bathed in the scent of lavender and took a deep <span class='word'>abstergent</span> breath. Just as she was on the edge of what might have been her first peaceful sleep in months, a voice called out. Well, not really a voice, the sound of someone clearing their throat. Jade's heart leaped into her own throat and she whipped her head to the side to see a small black and white female not even ten feet from her. The little multicolored fae backpedaled, nearly tripping over herself in the thick cluster of blossoms. Crouching down nearly on her rump, her tail glued to her belly and ears flat on her head, Jade swallowed hard in fear, clearly caught off guard.

Her muscles trembled and her heart raced as she looked at the other wolf, abject fear written all over her. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the other was a female just as small as she and younger to boot. Yet, she couldn't calm herself or raise even an iota from her crouch. <i>Mother would be so proud!</i> Jade scoffed at herself. The other wasn't even being aggressive, she'd merely startled her. Trying to get her rather embarrassing behavior under control, Jade finally managed to lift herself into a slightly less cowering position by standing a grand total of one inch taller.

Jade lifted her soft sage green eyes to meet the brilliant emerald green ones of the other young woman. She had to make two attempts to even clear her throat, before she barely whispered, <b>"S-so-sorry. Y-you scared m-me!"</b> She still felt as if her heart was trying to beat it's way straight out of her ribcage.

(This post was last modified: Jun 27, 2012, 09:29 PM by Jade.)

It seemed as though her attempt to calm the other female had failed terribly and the older lady scrambled away from her. Jessie remained calm though, her tail briskly wagging behind her bum. The brown female seemed to calm down around her slightly and she smiled politely at the lady in front of her. Was she really apologizing to her? There was nothing to apologize for. . .if anything the white and black female should have been apologizing to her for startling her.

She didn‘t want to scare the young female, but had seemed that she overreacted slightly to her clearing her throat. She hoped she hadn‘t seemed aggressive, she was far from the point of actually wanting to scare someone else. She soon sat down, her fluffy tail, wrapping around her front paws. Her ears twitched slightly as she stared at this girl,. What should she say?

She then, spoke gently, “It‘s not a problem, ma‘am. I should be the one apologizing. I am Jessie.

She smiled happily at the female. She wouldn‘t mind a new conversation about the male. She didn‘t want to seem like a threat to the female, but she did seem to be relaxing slightly. She was small and fast, but she didn‘t have the muscle most other wolves had on her. She didn‘t mind it but she did always wish she could be bigger than she was. The rest of her family was made up of large wolves, why is she so small.

As the younger female wagged her tail in an openly friendly manner and then sat down curling her tail around paws as dainty as her own. Jade felt a good measure of her fear melt away, but she still could not relax as completely as Jessie had. She was finally able to lift herself from her submissive crouch and lift her ears slightly. He tail still hung down, with only the slightest curve towards her creamy belly. It was the absolute best that she could do with a wolf that she had just met, even a tiny friendly one.

Doing her best not to let her voice quaver with nerves, Jade introduced herself. <b>"Hi, I'm Jade,"</b> she said shyly while warmth crept up her neck. This sweet fae must think her daft or something, acting as if she'd just been attacked. Jade sighed as she resigned herself to yet another awkward and embarrassing moment to add to her endless list. <b>" I get a little j-jumpy, sometimes..."</b> <i>Yeah, <b>that</b> was the understatement of the year!</i> With an almost herculeon effort, Jade forced a tiny smile onto her face.

She hated always being so nervous. It made it hard to make friends and form any kind of bond. Of course, Mother would say that one didn't need friends... they would only betray you. It wasn't as bad, once she got to know someone, but few even tried after and encounter very much along the lines of what had just happened. They always found an excuse to leave... <i>quickly</i>. It was also hard to get to know someone when you were always traveling, such as for her current mission of finding her brother. That goal was the anchor to her timid existence right now. It was all that she lived for and focused on, finding Steel.

The female continued to relax, but only slightly. Jessie didn‘t like scaring others. But the vibe she was getting off of this female was strange to her. She seemed to be submissive to her, something she had never had another wolf do for her. It was an odd feeling and she had to try hard not to laugh at the thought. There was no need to be submissive to her, there was no need. She was no threat to the older female and she was curious as to what had happened in the older lady’s life to the point where she stayed away from unwanted attention. It was something that was new to her. Most wolves she had met in the land had been quite sociable. But this female seemed to have a fearful edge to her.

Jessie listened to Jade with common interest as she spoke. Jumpy? Hah. . .Jessie would have never thought of that. She remained in the same position, her paws tapping slightly, as if she couldn‘t stay still. She wanted to do something exciting but she didn‘t want to frighten the other female either. The multi-colored wolf‘s ears twitched slightly, she might as well try to make the female feel slightly comfortable.

Jessie smiled sweetly at the female, before speaking, ”It is always a pleasure to meet someone new. Are you a wanderer like myself or do you belong to a pack?

The young wolf shifted her feet and seemed like she was ready to leave and go somewhere far more interesting and Jade would not have been surprised. It had happened to her dozens of times over the last two years. Why waste time on the crazy shy wolf? When Jessie stayed and actually continued the conversation, Jade was shocked and at a loss for words... which wasn't much different than her normal state. As the other waited for her answer, rather than walking away and proving her interest nothing more than a cruel joke, Jade stood a little taller and blinked her eyes rapidly for a moment as she took in the unfamiliar change. <i>Jessie seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her...</i>

Returning Jessie's smile with another shy one of her own and a few timid waves of her tail as it hung between her hind legs Jade answered, <b>"I s-suppose that I am a l-loner again... I- I left my adoptive p-pack in search of my brother, Steel. He's somewhere around here now." </b>She tipped her head a fraction of an inch as she realized that her nervous stutter disappeared whenever she spoke of her long-lost brother. Thinking back on her conversation with the black fae, Ava, she realized that it had happened then as well. <i>How very strange.</i>

The girl, Jade, seemed generally shocked that she had said something, and Jessie was curious as to why. The brown girl didn’t seem to want to say anything to awhile and the black and white wolf didn’t say anything else either. If the older lady wanted to chat then they could have a little chat, which both of them might have benefited well from. Her ears twitched slightly, pricking forward to hear the soft-spoken female’s words if any were to be spoken. After much evaluating from the other wolf’s part, she finally spoke. Jess listened to the words of the other wolf with care, making sure to listen carefully. Jade still continued to stutter through her words, but at the end of her last sentence she finished strong. It seemed as though the last claim she had made was business, and this was something that Jessie generally understood.

Jessie’s tail then began to wag patiently behind her and she smiled once again at Jade, showing her briefly that she was thinking. She had not heard of another male by the name of Steel, but she too was looking for her sister, Cali, and so far, she hadn’t had any luck. The best she could to was tell the female that she would keep an eye out for her brother. I mean, who didn’t want to reunite with their siblings and bond with them? Her bright emerald eyes watched the other female, curiosity flowing through her veins. Now it was business time, a friendly chat could wait for later.

She then cleared her throat and spoke, “I haven’t seen your brother, but I will be sure to keep an eye out. I am looking for my sister as well. Her name is Cali.”

Her words were quick and polite and she tilted her head slightly, watching Jade’s reaction closely. This female was quite shy, and from the looks of how she was acting, it was almost as if she hadn’t been much of a talker outside of Relic Lore. But Jessie needed friends. She was close to Sloane, for they had bonded over a hunt, but other than that, she didn’t have any close friends. But these two wolves seemed to have something in common. They were both trying to find their siblings. That did have to count for something, right? Jessie waited patiently, for the other female to answer.

Jade hung her head, disappointment clear as the other said that she hadn't seen her brother. She shouldn't be surprised, since Steel wasn't exactly sociable. Unless he'd had an incredible makeover, which she seriously doubted, he went out of his way to avoid other wolves. She might be close, but this search was not going to be easy.

Apparently Jessie was searching too. For her sister, Cali. <b>"You're searching too? What does Cali look like? Steel's black and white with dark blue eyes. He's not very... <i>sociable</i>."</b> It was quite an understatement, but it was the best way to quickly describe Steel's lack of feeling or emotion. She felt empathetic for the younger girl though. They both searched for siblings. She wondered if Cali was Jessie's <span class='word'>agemate</span> as Steel was for her. <b>"He is three, like me. Is your sister younger, like you?"</b> With a happy wag, Jade realized that she hadn't stuttered even once that time. She was getting much more comfortable with this young woman. It was good to have a new friend.

Disappointment seemed to take over the brown female’s features almost immediately. Jessie felt bad for the older woman for she too was missing her sibling. She felt a connection with this female. . .one that said that they both were missing their siblings. Black and white with dark blue eyes. Jessie would be able to remember that easy and she knew that she also needed to answer the woman’s question. She soon spoke, “Cali has moon white fur, with emerald eyes, close to my color and she is much bigger than me. Oh! And no, she‘s older than me by about a year!” She laughed at her last words, for they were pretty ironic to her.

All of the family members she knew were quite large, so when she grew up to be small, she was shocked, but was sad to see she was in fact, the runt of the litter. She was always quite confused by this though, only figuring that there must have been another member in her family that had been small, about the size she was now. Jessie’s tail started to wag soon, she was happy that she had met a new wolf. This would be good for her in the future, which was going to be soon anyways. She would soon be on her way to looking for her sister again, but getting another friend along the way wasn’t bad. Perhaps she would encounter Jade again.