◦Nala Garner
◦February 19th, 2009
◦Regular coyote
◦Male
◦(AIM) HuggleSquishGirl
Private for Zero and Anselm! <3 515 words.
The small coyote yapped happily to himself as he trotted closer and closer to his destination. This entire area was new to him, completely foreign and very cold. Normally, this might deter him from his travels, but it simply was not going to happen today. He was too excited! There were rumors of canines that could walk on two legs, a preposterous idea in the first place, and there were also words on the wind that there was an entire clan of coyotes that could do this. Intrigued, Nala had left his own small family to seek out this supposed clan and to see the amazing two-legged canines. He absolutely did not believe the rumors, but a whole clan of coyotes was just exciting enough for him to want to see it! As far as he knew, coyotes never really ran with packs or anything, just in small family circles. He wanted to see this!
Of course, his family had not been happy to see him go, but he only assumed that this was because he was so young and they loved him. “We just worry about you, Nala,” his mother had said to him before he left, and he did not begrudge them that. It was not something he knew, but they were worried about his ability to interact with others. Nala had never been much of a social creature, and his siblings often picked on him, calling him “stupid” and “dummy,” insults that were only met with deaf ears by the young boy. It had never occurred to him that they really meant those things—certainly his family could not really be that mean! He had always thought that they were joking around with him, and he had always laughed in response, much to their obvious annoyance. Well, it was obviously to everyone but himself, and it worried his parents.
A sharp scent caught him then, and thankfully, he recognized it as scent-marked borders that he should not cross. He yipped louder, twice, and then waited with a large grin for someone to come greet him. Maybe, if the rumors were true, they would even be walking on two legs! That would definitely be exciting. With a small thud, Nala lowered his rear end to the ground, lifting one of his back legs to scratch an itch behind his left ear. Wide, golden eyes closed and the smile widened while he scratched, enjoying what was almost a tickling sensation until it finally was not helping anymore and he lowered his leg, resuming his open-mouthed grin while he waited for someone to show up. He did not know the usual procedure for such things, or even what he wanted, but he wanted to know if the rumors were true! For the first time, the skulls on their sticks caught his attention, and he stared at them in confusion. What kind of coyotes wanted skulls all over the place? Nala swallowed, growing steadily unsure if this was the best place for him to go. No matter his worries, though, the grin returned while he waited.