Swift River life's good

Sorry for my lack of in-the-Grove activity as of late. :/ Anyone's welcome to join in! ^-^

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. The sun was shining, lazily filtering down through the vibrant trees and casting a dappled shadow over the edge of the clearing where he lay on his back, paws waving lazily in the air as little bugs flitted by. For the longest time during spring, the buff, pale wolf had been very dutiful, always on the move, always on the borders, practically glued to Marsh's copper side, but summer had come and laziness had descended on him again. Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Ice still patrolled dutifully, and was more often than not seen by Marsh's side, but when he wasn't sleeping or patrolling, he was laying on his back in some corner of the Grove, wriggling his paws, and just relaxing. Things were beginning to return to normal, after everything that had happened - Indru's coming and going, pups, his nameless friend from Poison Path... And that wondrous, magical night by the River, in which something had passed between him and Marsh. But life felt better after it - the sky was bluer, the trees and grass greener, the prey tastier, the sunshine warmer, the butterflies more vibrant... All in all, life was good. Ice yawned, and stretched his thick legs out in front of him in a stretch. Blood rushed through his body in a pleasant fashion, tensions loosing up, and with a content sigh he settled back into the lush grass. As far as he knew, no one had done anything stupid against Poison Path, and Triell was still alive. That made life even better. Ice gave the sky a toothy grin. Today, he decided, was a good day. He'd taken a dawn patrol but was now just lazing around, the sun at its highest in the sky. A few cirrus clouds streaked the sky high above, but nothing to blot out the light. They looked like the seafoam crests of waves, but in the sky, and not on sea. With a content gurgle of sorts he burrowed deeper into the grass, head tilted back to observe the surroundings. He wasn't too far from the main den, just in case an adorable little pup or Corinna herself wanted some company. He felt a bit bad for the mother, she'd been locked up in the den for so long, and as long as her litter was young, she didn't seem too inclined to get out of the Grove. No wonder if she kept close these days, with Indru having another of his scarce-spells again. Oh, well. Today was a good day, life was good - he wasn't about to let his wayward leader ruin that. He just hoped Indru came home before Corinna lost her patience with him and did something radical. Ice wasn't sure if life would still be good then, but it was good now, and he was determined to enjoy it. .ice aesir

(This post was last modified: Nov 05, 2012, 11:17 AM by Ice.)

let the stars above shine in your soul

Only on occasion did Rissa sleep in. Those were restless nights, usually, when a cricket was chirping too loudly outside and it kept her awake not only because it was loud, but because she wanted to see it. Of course, that usually required waking someone else up. She wasn't the most elegant on her paws yet, nor the daintiest in size. The combination was usually explosive when she was trying to be sneaky. Not to mention the den was dark, lit only faintly by the moon. So, she'd just lie there and listen to the cricket until something ate it or it hopped away and then she'd fall back asleep. But last night was not one of those nights, and Rissa had slept like a log among the other sleeping furry bodies. So, that meant, as soon as the sun showed its warm face, she was up. It was easier to keep from waking everyone else up, too, so it was good for everyone!She'd spend awhile sniffing around the den, curious to see what might have visited them in the night (nothing, usually, but prey animals glad to finally have some peace), and then she'd wander a bit further, trying to find squirrels and maybe even catch one, but that still wasn't possible.

And, finally, she'd end with a very careful drink from the river by the den. This was a delicate process. Rissa had a hardy respect for the water, knowing that it was cold and she still didn't know how to swim. So, she'd lie on her belly a foot or two away from the edge, and slowly inch her way forward until her muzzle was just over it. Her legs would splay out so she could tip her head over the side without having to stand, and she would then take a drink. Once that was over, the day was her oyster. She skipped back around the den, curious to see what other friendly Swift River wolves were about. She wanted to meet all of them and talk to all of them and learn from all of them, so when she was queen they would like her and know that they had a hand in her queenliness. And she'd found today's victim. Sprawled out in the grass was Ice. Rissa had met him, but she hadn't subjected him to her usual conversation and torment, for lack of a better word. He seemed to be relaxing, and while she didn't consider it wise to pounce upon him as would have been the best plan, she still wanted to talk to him, if he didn't mind.

"Isssssss," Rissa lowered herself to her belly again, tail wagging swiftly behind her, and she slithered towards Ice, hissing his name, to the best of her ability (which was "Is"). When she reached his head, she stuck out her neck, trying to grab one of his ears in her mouth to get his attention, if he hadn't already noticed her.

test italics

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Something rather small was moving through the world, grasses bending and swishing to the sound. Ice closed his eyes, drawing in the scents of the world deeply through his nose. It was none other than Rissa, and his heart did a little gleeful skip in his chest. He had a soft spot for pups, and what a fortune that it was one of them that had stumbled out on him today! He cracked one silver eye open, peering at her across the distance. She seemed to be coming his way, and with a nonchalant flip of his muzzle he closed his eyes again, pretending to not know that she was there. She could get to feel like she was an awesome prowler if she wanted to. It wasn't even hard to let her do it, no pride suffering from allowing a pup to "sneak up" on him. Instead, he raised one large paw towards the blue sky and waved it around a little, squinting at the bright heavens and imagining what it would be like to paint clouds with a single stroke of his paw. Of course, he couldn't, but it was fun to imagine. A soft humming noise slipped from his muzzle, joined in by a sort of hiss-like exclamation from the little girl. Issssss.... What, was she a snake now? He flipped his head over, peering at her. She was certainly trying, at least, crawling through the grass in a serpentine fashion. He pretended not to see her even though he was looking at her; he kept his gaze on her wriggling butt instead of on her head, hoping to fool her with his focus. Then she - sort of - pounced his ear, and he let out a mock gasp. Sharp, tiny teeth clamped down on his left ear, tugging at it a little. It hurt more than he had expected, and he gave a small yelp of surprise before laughing. "I yield, miss snake! Please don't eat me," he begged of her, amusement in his voice even as he came over on his side, to better face her.. and reach her. With a nearly careless edge to the motion he tried to put his large paw against her side and push her away from his ear - but in truth, he was far from careless. While he knew that pups weren't made of glass and cotton, he certainly didn't want to accidentally hurt her or knock her over either. He was fond of them, of these little cretins that were never up to any good, and he had, perhaps, a very tender spot for both girls. Rissa had been the first of the pups to greet him and Triell - and they had been the first packmates she had greeted. Aiyana, well... she'd picked Marsh to stare upon, and he'd caught the way Triell looked at her. What passed through his head when he saw the shadow of himself, a small black creature with a patch of white on her chest? Ice smiled, dreamy fondness in his eyes, and looked down upon little Rissa. She was more like her brothers in color - slightly darker than Kisla - but the question was, would she grow up slender and lissome like her sister and mother, or become buff and robust like the male Tainns? So small now... He hid the thought of that one night so many months ago, when things might've changed drastically, for forever. He hid the thoughts that it had brought into his head, the doubt, the dreams. He hid them, but could never, truly, forget them. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Even Rissa couldn't help but be surprised that he hadn't noticed her yet! He must've been deaf. His swirling paw caught her eye, and she paused for a moment, wondering exactly what he was doing, before she shook her head, remembering the mission. For his sake, she hissed a bit louder, and with emphasis. He must notice her by now! "ISSSSSSSSSSSSSS." She continued, before her attack was underway. And that ear was hers! It would be his own fault if she took a piece of it back to the den as a prize. Not like he was using it anyway. "Errrrr." She grumbled, gnawing upon her prey. And then he noticed her! Well, it was too late now...Although, he just asked so nicely.

Giving a final gnaw, she carefully let go, and took a step back, settling upon her rotund little haunches. She leaned towards his face, a bit too far, and fell forward, bumping noses. A less-than-tough little squeak popped from her mouth, and she rolled onto her side, paws flailing over her muzzle. "You've bested me, Ice." She said, sniffing, using one paw to rub her nose, while the other lay over the side of her muzzle, ashamed of the sound. After wallowing in mild shame for a moment longer, Rissa rolled to her belly. "What'sa snake?" She asked, head tipped to the side. "And, and, and...Um. How comes you didn't hears me? I was saying your names all loud? Your ears work, right?" She wriggled towards him, paws reaching towards his face. "You can whispers. I won't tell. Rissa keeps secrets good."

test italics

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. It didn't matter that she growled louder, he'd made up his mind to not acknowledge her, at least not until she pounced. And when she did, he certainly questioned the wisdom of his choice. She tugged and growled, sending spikes of pain through his nervous system. Ears were sensitive things! And pup-teeth were sharp! The moment she decided to acknowledge his request and let him go, he flipped his head out of reach, ear at a safe distance from the menacing Rissa. "Ow," he said, scowling at her for a moment. She should treat ears with more respect! They deserved it! It wasn't like his hadn't done their duty and informed him of the incoming pup - it was his brain that had chosen to let her pounce him, so it was his brain she should be chewing on! .. but that would be terribly tricky to bring about. He didn't exactly want to bash his skull open just for the sake of fairness. Rissa sat back and leaned in closer, and Ice's mock-scowl turned into a quizzical frown. What was she trying to achieve? Did she just want a closer look at his handsome face? Rolling over so he lay more on his side, Ice leaned forward slightly too, bringing them closer, but then her very cautious advance broke. The pup pitched forward and smacked her nose on his, and, startled, Ice pulled back as she fell on her side with a squeak. The way she flailed her paws was just adorable, and with a grunt of laughter he dragged himself onto all four and tried to push his nose against her little belly, before leaning back and settling on his own. He didn't end up like a wolf normally did, but rather with one hind leg beneath him and the other splayed out, front legs out and chin on the ground. It looked almost as if someone had dropped him there. Rissa seemed to recover and asked stuff, about snakes and ears, and wriggled closer with her dainty paws waving at him. Ice's silver eyes tracked them, a faint laughter chiming into the air. "Aah, Rissa, my ears work just fine. I just chose to pretend I didn't hear you, in case you wanted to pounce me." He lolled his tongue out in a grin. "And, well, snakes... They're bad stuff. They're long and slithery, covered in scales, and they sort of.. wriggle through the grass. They've got a nasty bite - often poisonous. So don't get bitten. Keep clear of snakes." A snake bite was much more dangerous to a pup and their small bodies. The concentration of poison would be higher than in someone as large as Ice. His head craned to the side. "Which animals do you know of?" .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

His noise of pain was considered quite the accomplishment in Rissa's book. That meant she won! She silently celebrated, tail wriggling behind her. She'd beaten a big wolf. But then after her little spill, he'd bested her with his bigger nose. Oh well. It was a tie. And to be expected, since he was a lot bigger than she was. Rissa betted that he could just pick her up and carry her around. Ris thought that she was too big for that now, but Ice was so big. He could probably do anything. Including make her curl up into a little ball with just a push of his nose. Her legs curled into her belly for a moment, and she laughed before pulling herself up again.

However, a look of disappointment crossed over her face at this confession. But...No, he must be lying to make himself feel better. "Nuh-uh. Why would you do that? I can be real quiet! You just didn't hear me!" Of course, Rissa couldn't even lie to herself. She knew she wasn't that good at a lot of stuff yet, especially being sneaky. Maybe she'd be able to convince him to teach her how to creep. But even if he didn't, he was teaching her about snakes. It was good to know what it was. So she could avoid it. Even though they sounded really neat. "Not all snakes are bad right? They sound neat!" Her tail wagged again, and then she paused, to think about his question. "Squirrels. I know stupid squirrels, and fish, and um, um, um...Deer! I know things to eat. But there are more animals, right?" Maybe this would be more helpful than creeping.

test italics

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Okay. The one bad trait in pups was the size of their ego. As a child he'd hardly owed up to every mistake he did either, but from an adult's perspective, it was darned annoying when they just refused to admit defeat. A rather unamused snort escaped him. "Issssss," he imitated her, gripping the grass with his front paws and slithering closer to her, flicking out his tongue like snakes did before trying to plant it firmly on the tip of her nose. The Ice snake had come and tried to "bite" her on the nose, oh no! Call for mom! His dark lips split up in a wide grin, a flash of large teeth showing before he toppled over on the side again. It was more comfortable that way, instead of lying flat on your belly. He didn't know about other bellies, but Ice's was a bit sensitive and didn't like when he accidentally flopped down on roots, stones, dead animals or other objects, such as pups. But his ribs, well, they seemed quite hardy compared to his belly, and as long as he wasn't lying face-down he'd managed to sleep surprisingly well in very strange positions and on very strange surfaces. He frowned a little as Rissa tried to decide that not all snakes were bad. Snakes were bad, and powerful. You needed to have a healthy amount of respect for them, yet she seemed eager to lack it. He lifted his head up to look at her thoughtfully. "Rissa. Some snakes are harmless, but until you've learned to identify them, you should be very, very cautious of them. They're dangerous." His voice was oddly serious, and he hoped she understood what he was trying to say - that she should be careful. She'd only lived for a couple of months; it'd be such a shame if her time span ended here. Squirrels. Fish. Deer. Well, those were good basics. Ice gave her a lazy smile and sat up, secretly marveling at how much he was wriggling around now. Lying, rolling, flopping, rising, sitting - how many times had he shifted position in the past minutes? Thoughtfully, he wriggled his ears and looked for a sign of feathers in some tree, but it looked like they'd have to go on a small expedition if they wanted to see one. Well, he could prepare her for it... "You know birds? You hear all this yippery-yap up in the trees? That's birds. Some of them are real pretty, but I can't see any from here. Wanna come along and see if we can find any?" .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

His hissing was less than intimidating to her. But it certainly was fun to hear. Did she sound like that? Well, probably not exactly like that, since he was bigger than she was. And his voice was a lot different. When he began to wiggle towards her, she began to giggle again, and wriggled backwards herself, until she lost her balance and fell onto her back. Her legs kicked into the air and she squealed as she got a big sloppy tongue across her nose. "Ick. Bad snake!" She growled, tiny brows coming together in a comical expression of grumpiness. Her oversized paws wiped over her nose in embarrassment, trying to clean off the snake germs. She leaped to her paws, but it was too late, the game was over. Ice seemed quite amused by it all. And well...she was too! Following suit, she flopped onto her belly, all four legs splayed out. He'd rolled onto his side, but Rissa was far more comfortable like this. Especially with her long, awkward legs all stretched out. For once they weren't getting in the way.

Her head fell on her paws as Ice explained seriously to her that snakes were bad unless you know what snakes weren't. Well, how was she supposed to know which were bad and which weren't? Her ears fell back, and she let out a small conciliatory whine. Someone would have to teach her about snakes. But at this point, she didn't want to push the issue with Ice much further. Besides, there were other animals out there. Slowly, she lifted her head again as Ice sat up, and she looked around to try and see what he was looking for. Oh! She had forgotten an animal, birds! But that was okay. She didn't know much about them other than well...Birds. Getting up as well, she came up beside him, head tilted to the side as he spoke, and she gave a little nod. "I knows birds. But not a lots. They're sure loud." She scowled, and barked as loud as she could. That certainly shut the birds up. "I can bes louder." The child puffed out her chest and smirked. Another field trip? Ice offered to take her to find some birds. "Oh yes!" She bounced onto her paws, tail wagging excitedly behind her.

test italics

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Of course he was a bad snake. Ice equaled bad snake, in every way possible. Not only was he "mean" in "biting" her, but he didn't look like a snake at all, so he was also a bad imitation of one. With a small huff and a smile he watched her rub his saliva off her nose. She was quite endearing, really - sweet and playful, yet so inquisitive and curious. That she and her sister always tried to eat each other was nothing strange, but really, what could he do but laugh fondly? Despite having no blood tie to them, he felt like their uncle. Just watching Rissa lie in the grass, being all pup-like and sort of silly, filled him with a pleasant warmth. He wouldn't mind if time slowed down and froze him in this moment forever. It was a very, very nice feeling, and just watching her little body was enough to mesmerize him. And the way her eyes locked on him when he told her things, taught her things. He was positive she soaked up every word and stored it in her little head. He hadn't been prepared for her bark and nearly flinched. Silver eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly open as he stared at her. In the trees, some birds rose, but most just fell quiet. The silence was nearly deafening and she announced that she could be louder, and only then did the spell let go of him and he laughed again. "You can be very loud," he agreed mirthfully, listening to the bravest of birds try a few tentative notes again. Ice sat up straighter, ears strained, simply listening as their songs increased in strength again. He grinned at Rissa, and then gave a bark of his own, startling them to silence again. Laughing, he tried to give her shoulder an awkward pat with his large paw before scrambling up on all four. "Come on, let's go then!" A playful nip to her ear, and then he was loping lazily towards the river, hoping she'd catch on and "race" him. Of course Ice could easily outrun her, but the point wasn't to outrun and compete: the point was to enjoy, and spend time together. The river showed up in front of him, and the trees didn't crowd so close to the banks here. He could see plenty of insects over the sun-bright surface, illuminated by the light shining down from the clear blue sky. It truly was a magical day, and not overly warm either. With an inviting smile Ice settled on the mossy grass, perhaps two yards from the river itself, and looked at the trees. "No barking, because now we want to see them," he told her gently, and waited. After a few minutes, a great tit made its way from a tree. Its yellow body shimmered warmly, and the blue wings seemed incandescent, like the feathers of ravens. Ice's mouth opened in a small smile, pleased with the sight. "It's a chickadee," he told Rissa quietly, watching as the bird landed upon a branch not too far away, probably to glean for food. It was a couple of yards up, so it was probably confident because neither wolf could jump that high. Curiously he angled his head down to peer at Rissa, wondering what she'd do. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Rissa had been quite pleased with her bird-stunning bark. And then even more pleased when Ice congratulated her on it. Well, maybe that wasn't exactly what he did, but it certainly felt like it to Rissa. When he barked, she started a bit, head snapping up to look at him. "That was a big barks." She said, orange eyes wide. His pat caught her off-guard, still hearing the echo of his bark in her ears, and she got to her paws to quickly that they caused her a bit of trouble. Rissa stumbled forward, nearly face-planting in the ground before she managed to collect herself and quickly take chase after him. He wouldn't win this race. Lowering her head, she tried to chase after him as fast as she could, large paws and gangly legs threatening to trip her up again. But they made it to the river eventually, Rissa half scowling because she'd lost. It wasn't fun to come in last place, but at least Ice didn't say anything about it. It made her feel better.

The girl eyed the river, and wobbled up beside Ice as he sat. She mimicked him, though her legs were so tired she stretched out on the soft grass instead, placing her head upon her paws to see what Ice had brought her here for. Birds! He'd said no barking though, so Rissa kept her mouth shut. It took a few long minutes, but a bird finally appeared. It was so pretty! And Ice called it a chickadee. Wriggling along on her belly, she tried to get close to the tree, to get a better look at the bird. "We dun eat these birds, rights?" She looked over her shoulder at Ice before craning her head back to look at the bird again.

test italics