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WORLDS WE HAVE NOT KNOWN
The weather here, as usual, was perfect. Birds hung in the sky as if they were on strings, peering down into the tall grasses below in search for breakfast. A few young ones chirped as they frolicked around trees, pleased by their newfound ability to fly. Golden light was strewn across the fields by the sun, which was hesitating a little above the horizon at just the perfect angle, and an almost imaginary breeze was tipping the heads of the grasses to and fro. In the distance, a small group of wapiti was grazing peacefully, likely appreciating the calm of the morning.
Hemming was sitting crosslegged in the grass, bent over a thick stick and holding a sharp rock tightly in his left hand. He had found a rock at the coast, and split it using another rock to get a sharp edge. It had taken a fair bit of time and much experimentation, but eventually he had a good technique figured out. One had to strike the stone in just the right place to get the rock to break along a fault, and a good amount of force was needed. Hemming was good at doing things in just the right way, but the application of force as well made it quite difficult for him. He had spent a lot less time finding the wood that he would use; the scattered forests were full of discarded branches that would be suitable.
Now that he had all his materials, he slowly and carefully scraped the bark off of a stick that was about the width of his finger, and started to smooth its surface. For his purposes, it was necessary to remove any notches in the wood; it would have to be perfectly smooth. Once he had a general rod shape scraped out, he place the piece of wood to his side and picked up a much thicker branch. It would be more difficult to do this part, because he needed a wide base and wasn't quite sure how easy it would be to remove some of the wood from the end of the branch. The natural round shape of the wood spared him from having to make it circular, at least.
The male sat, listening to the songs of the birds and enjoying the light wind that was ruffling through his fur, and worked away at trying to saw a piece about an inch thick off the bottom. It was, perhaps, a tedious task, but the flawless land around him made time slip by all the faster.
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Ooc: Hello ^^ How about talking about what Hemming wants to be (talking about ranks XP)
The perfect weather, chippering birds and the promise of a good, smooth walk thorugh the blooming lands persuaded Catherine to slip from her duties and enjoy that wonderful day. The wild flowers smiled at her. The sun shone, his light glimmering in the green grass blades. The fresh breeze blew through her long fur, making it dance with the wind. The pratically couldless sky, with its graceful blue, filled wtih birds. She could reconize the shape of her own bird of prey, Seymour. Although being a carnivorous, he made friends. Amazing the optimist effects spring had at everyone.
Bluma, which walked slowly besides the grayish female, moved her brown eyes everywhere. Catherine guessed the mare was looking for the perfect meal. In the wolfess' opinion, the equine was being too selective. All the grass, flowers and fruits looked more than perfect. Even so, the horse kept searching. Maybe the horse was being so picky because it could. The female couldn't argue with such argument.
Saw, Catherine's preachy but wise Spirit Guide, was coiled around the female's neck loosely, his pitch black scale shinning brightly with the sunlight. His head lyed over her shoulder, hissing in contentement once in a while. He loved the sun, that she could be sure. A cold-blooded creature need sun to keep the body's temperature, which was the case in reptiles. Besides, it is good to feel the sun in the face.
That perfect day reminded her of a song. A song an ancient coyote sang ot her once, when she was very young. She hummed it silenty, to herself, the lyrics scrolling inside her mind. 'And I think to myself...What a beautiful world!'
The woman walked with no hurry. An easy-going, loose way of walking. With a tender smile in her face, her imparied vision getting all the details of the scenery. Even the little bird, trying toget up in the weak legs. It was barely a week old. She looked up, and saw the nest, from where two other young birds were, and the parents, crying loudly to the child, which replied as terrified as them. The woman knew the kid won't survive long in the ground. She quicked the pace, toward the nestling. Her hands formed a conch, and she gently held it.
She, then, started to climb the tree, slowly and carefully, not wanting to squeeze the birdie or to let him fall again. Soon, she was a few inches from the nest. The parents were in an agressive position, protecting their remaining babies. A wise thing to do. She shown the nestling in her hand. Seconds passed, and they accepted the child back. They chirled and sung, in joy. The prodigal son returns to his home. She stayed there, her belly upon the rough branch, looking at the birds welcoming the youngster back. Glancing down, she saw that Bluma -finally- found her perfact meal: yellow tulips with tall blades of grass. A wide smiled formed in her face.
Time passed, and the family rested, the nest sheltered by the leaf-filled branches above. The nestlings had been fed, so were the parents. Catherine wasn't hungry, Bluma had eated her lunch, Seymour probably ate a mouse, Saw was just a spirit,he never eats. Tired and bored of staring at the birds, she turned around, and placed her left side instead of her belly in the branch. The first thing she saw, astonished her. Sitting in the grass, there was another wolf she never saw before, making a spear. By his scent, she learned that male was an AniWayan too, but just a newcomer.
Looking up to the green leaves above her head, she started to hum the music again, slowly getting louder, until she started to sing along with the lyrics. It was only to call his attention, right before she stoped in the end of the chorus to say: It's a nice looking spear! You're promising in that.
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thanks for joining  sure!
WORLDS WE HAVE NOT KNOWN
Any incidental sounds that would have alerted Hemming to the presence of another was drowned in the background noise. The singing, however, was not. It slipped into his concentration, loud enough for the male to think that it was his own brain making the noise, and eventually lured his focus away from the piece of wood he was sawing. He held the thick piece of wood in his hands as he looked up to locate the source of the voice, but it was nowhere to be found - at least on the ground. After a few moments the gray wolf finally located her in a tree, not too far away, somehow balanced on a long branch.
Her words caught him off guard but he smiled graciously anyways, glad to hear a compliment. The thing he was freeing from the wood was not actually a spear, though it was likely that the parts he had already made could be assembled into a rather hodgepodge one. It was, in fact, a drop spindle, which Hemming was planning to use to spin some yarn. He wasn't yet sure where he'd get the raw fibre - the wapiti in the distance made him wonder if he could get close enough to harvest their undercoat - but certainly if all else failed he would be able to use his own fur. The yarn all spun up would be good for making nets (if it was strong enough, of course - he would have to experiment a little), perhaps a rug or a blanket, and maybe even a hat. Useful things, he hoped.
"Thank you! It's not going to be a spear, though," Hemming replied, smiling, "It kind of looks like one right now, doesn't it? I'm trying to make a spindle. I haven't made one for so long, I hope it turns out... or maybe it will end up being a spear." He laughed a little and looked back down to the fat branch in his hand. He was about half way through it now, and had started to go in at an angle as well in order to reach the inner parts. Making a good spear would require a finer starting material than the stubby bit of wood he had already carved out, and he would attest to the amount of skill it would take to make one. If he failed to make the spindle, making a spear out of the grizzled remains would be an unattainable best case scenario. He would joke about it anyways, just because he felt at ease and the words came without any coaxing at all.
The wolf that had addressed him certainly fit what he thought an AniWayan should look like. Hemming was starting to feel very plain, indeed. He would have to do something about that soon. Really, though, he wasn't sure what kind of things would make him look more like he belonged. Feathers and braids, perhaps? That would be easy enough to do, but he couldn't shake the idea that he'd look ridiculous. The male reminded himself to be patient; all would come with time.
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Ooc: --
Catherine got particularly embarassed when the male said it wasn't a spear, but she felt better when she said it would end up being one. Not sure what it was supposed to be, she held the branch tightly with both hands and threw her body out of it, and hanged to the branch for a few seconds, until she let go of it, and fell to the ground slowly, bounding the knees to absorve the impact. The grass under her feet softed the sound of her landing. Se traighted herself slowly, and sitted in front of the male. She held suddenly one hand to him. She hoped he'd knew what to do. It was supposed to be a hand shake.
I'm afraid we haven't been presented before. My name is Catherine. What is yours? she said, a formal greeting. Her voice was polite, but excited as well. She was always happy to meet someone new.
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[html] WORLDS WE HAVE NOT KNOWN
Although Hemming had been caught up in his work and his daydreaming, it was nice to have a bit of company. Meeting someone new was especially wonderful, and he hoped that within a few days he would have met everyone in the tribe. There would always be a few members were a little more absent and a little rarer to run into, and he realized that his ability to meet everyone any time soon was pretty much down to chance. So far, though, most of the AniWayans seemed quite friendly, and Hemming would assume that he would run into them around the tribelands soon enough.
The female that had spoken to him did a rather acrobatic dismount from the tree, and he watched as she approached. She extended a hand, and after just a moment of hesitation he shook it. Hemming did have at least a faint idea of what to do in this situation, extracted from human stories he had read. Smiling gently, he replied, "I'm Hemming. Nice to meet you."
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Ooc: --
The male, named Hemming, didn't take long for him to shake her hand. Catherine's smile grew wider. Very ncie to meet you, Hemming, she replied. Right after they let go of each other's hand, she looked at the worked wood and rock. Don't matter what it was really supposed to be, your promising... Your new here, aren't you? she asked, not wanting to be unpolite at all. It was just a passive, innocent question.
You might do well as an Gatlvska, you know? We don't have any specialized craftsman here, she said, not sure if it was the correct way to say the word. The cherokee language used in the tribe was quite mouthful, sometimes. It was a long process of adaptating to that new and odd language. Nothing against it. If it was just a bit easier to speak, than it would be easier.
I'm a Waya Agateno. A scout, more precisely. The only one around, as well, the woman simply said. It also made her the highest ranked in the scouting rank tree. She only didn't say it to him to don't be a bit of a show-off. The tribe didn't have any fire tender, and were very short in doctors and warriors. They were very unprepared for a war, if one suddenly exploded. It would be a complete carnage, and the tribe's extinction. Maybe a crafstman could help increase their chances, making weapons, tools, etc. In evey new member, she saw a future skilled, high ranked worker, helping the pack in their own way and according to their job. In him, she could see a great craftsman. She was always so optimist...
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[html] WORLDS WE HAVE NOT KNOWN
How nice it was to have some very kind company. Hemming grinned (these muscles were a little tired after being used so constantly over the past few days), and nodded. Catherine added a compliment, and the male wolf looked down a little bashfully at his work. He wasn't really used to compliments, and wasn't always sure how to respond to them. Luckily he didn't have to. "Yeah, I am. I've been here for a couple weeks now. "
Hemming didn't know what a Gatlvska was, but when she continued to speak the male figured it was a specific role within the tribe. Had he been asked what he would like to be a month or so ago, he certainly wouldn't have chosen craftsman, but now that he was away from home and didn't have any of the furniture, tools or toys that he had made over the years, he felt he needed to build to fill that gap. Now that his skill for it and his enjoyment of it had been rediscovered, he certainly wouldn't mind doing it for everyone in the whole tribe. When he lived on his own, he had stopped merely because he didn't have any good use for the things he built anymore. Once Catherine had planted that idea in his mind, it started to look quite rosy.
He nodded as Catherine explained her own rank. "What kind of things do you do, as a scout?" Hemming had some guesses, but didn't want to voice them in case he was way off base. He assumed the role required a lot of concentration, and automatically wrote it off. The male would not be able to walk around the lands without getting completely distracted and not realizing he was neglecting his duties until the sun started to go down. He also wondered how many Waya Agateno would be a good number; she mentioned that she was the only one, but Hemming had no idea whether it was good to just have one or to have six. Hemming still had a lot to learn about his new tribe.
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Ooc: --
Catherine nodded when he told her how long since he had joined. Well, soon enough, he'd receive a Spirit Guide. Or not. Those creatures were very impossible to predict. Even more if they were tricky as a snake. The grayish woman glanced quickly to her own Guide. The snake was still around her neck, but the male seemed to don't notice the black mamba. It meant Saw was making himself invisible to the other wolf. The reptile ghost was very unforeseenable, which made get a relationship with him a very hard thing.
It wasn't surprising the male's question. Her job was and wasn't uneventful. In these days, it had been quite... quiet. There wasn't many things happening in the boarders, neither there was many messages to be delivered around. Maybe one or even two, if she was lucky. Anyways, she was doing her best, and quiet days meant that she could sleep more. That was her greatest and loviest hobby.
Well, a scout, in the first rank, only got to scout the boarders. It is rather boring, and you get easily distracted if you are tired or in a bad humor. In my case, in the second rank, you start to deliver messages around the tribe. There aren't many sending messages. Normally they are just reports from what is going on. Those goes mostly to Dawali. I bet you already met him, she reported him, being honest. I must say, it's rather boring if the tribe is in peace like that, the woman comented, looking around. Those were really harmonious days. Anyone could get quickly absent-minded with such amazing day. The lyrics of the music floated inside her mind.
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Hemming absent-mindedly ran his thumb across the rough flat surface of his tool as she spoke, nodding his head a bit more obviously when she mentioned Dawali. "Ah, that's what I would have expected. Wartime is much more exciting for you, then." He laughed gently. "Are there a lot of wars around here? I'm not familiar with all the packs yet, or how they interact." It was something that he had been curious about. Hemming had felt quite safe as he wandered, but it could simply be naivety that kept him from keeping up his guard.
The lands around here were surprisingly densely populated, supporting quite a few packs. Hemming wouldn't be able to guess at the actual number, but he had picked up quite a few different scents on his walks. It was unlikely they all got along all of the time. It would be a nice thing, though Catherine wouldn't get much excitement.
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Ooc: --
Catherine laughed along with the male, while he paused during his speech. Yes, it would, I guess, she said. Not actually. Well, I have never seen one, since I came here. There aren't many comunication between the packs. I think that's what keep the peace, the grayish woman commented. It was very hard to do that tedious tasks everyday without get absent-minded. Almost impossible. The greatest thing she met until now was a great buck, but it ran away as soon as he noticed her. The last time she saw a canine was just a fox. If she was lucky, she could met with a squirrel.
I guess you'd want something more... active, the woman guessed. She was in that rank because there was anyone else when she joinned. Although it's boring, it's and important task, which someone should be doing. And there she was, deciding which path to go. Maybe it was the same situation to that newcomer male. She was good in what she do. He could be good as well, judging how nice that... tool was coming out.
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It was good to hear that there weren't many wars. Hemming nodded as the female suggested it was the low levels of communication that kept them from biting each other's throats. That would make sense, he supposed, but he would also guess that a lot of communication would do help as well. It was probably the intermediate levels that could lead to disputes. What was there to argue over, here? The land seemed plentiful enough to all but eliminate that as a factor, but then again Hemming had not seen it all. Perhaps there would be arguments over bits of the cities, or a troublesome wolf mucking around with someone from another pack. Hemming could certainly imagine the latter.
The male chuckled when she proposed that he'd want a role that didn't leave so much room for getting distracted. It had only been a few minutes and she already had him pegged. "That would probably be best." A sheepish grin crossed his maw. " I had forgotten how much I enjoy woodworking. I'd like to make things for others, too," he held up his chunk of wood for a moment, idly. "Maybe I could be of some use around here," he laughed. It would be nice to make a contribution now that he thought he understood how things worked around here.
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Occ: hehe new table by me XD
Catherine smiled, seeing that the male enjoyed her idea. Besides, everyone was useful in the pack, in a way or another. Even the pups and Spirit Guides made their part around. Everyone could use more pairs of hands, with the sprounting fields ready for harvesting. The grayish woman couldn't wait to know how tomatoes and corns taste like.
As she forgot about the snake around her neck, she was got in short when the snkae slithered through her arms to the ground, disappearing in the tall grass. He got bored, probably. Now, the matter of the Spirit Guides sinked deep into her mind. Soon enough, you'll have someone to help you around as well, she told him. The female wondered what kind of animal would be his guide and friend. She wasn't sure. They were impossible to predict in which shape they'd appear. Like herself, she has nothing that could explaine why her Guide was a snake. Maybe they could not only be alike. Maybe they could be the contrair of their guarded. So many things about them that could define their shape...
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i like it :3 i watched that music video... it's sad ;o;
WORLDS WE HAVE NOT KNOWN
What the woman said next was mysterious to Hemming. He had been wandering largely on his lonesome, but did run into others fairly often. A few of the wolves he ran into did help him quite a bit, in various ways. Ember had been extremely helpful in showing him around a bit and helping him to settle down in a den, and now this female was giving him a quick rundown of different roles one could play within the tribe. In a way, they were guiding him, but the exact phrasing of Catherine's words suggested something more.
Putting the piece of wood down beside him and grabbing his crossed ankles, Hemming readjusted himself a little and looked up. "What do you mean?" He didn't see the snake that had been wrapped around his neck, and though he had noticed that Dawali had a large bird on his shoulder, he didn't think a lot of it besides wondering about the eccentricities of the pack. Was there a flock of birds somewhere that somehow held the secrets of the land, and would help you once you proved your worthiness? The confusion that the male felt enforced his idea that he still had many, many things to learn.
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Occ: hehe ^^ yes, kind of. Not that much because, if notice, it's the woman he liked that was walking along with the bike, which was him XP
Catherine giggled gently, placing her fingertips in the lips, as the male was caught in her little trick, right before shaking her head slightly. I meant about the Spirit Guides, she explained, her voice a bit giggly.
Soon I'll have yours. Mine is Saw. He is a black mamba... and a bit too shy today, the grayish female told him, pointing out toward the grass where the snake disappeared. He was so unpredictable! Almost to the point of annoying her.
But don't worry, he don't bite, she assured him, just so he wouldn't be too aware for nothing. Besides, Saw prefered mcuh more the trees rather than the ground. Luckly, as he had been a bit moody these days...
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[html] but he's still... well, a bike! 
Hemming's gaze turned to the direction in which the female pointed, but saw nothing. He hadn't heard of Spirit Guides before, and the idea was quite strange to him. Was she pulling his leg? He smiled softly, staring into the grass as he mulled over her words. "Ah. So they're... animals? That somehow belong to you? I'm afraid I'm a bit fuzzy on the concept." The male looked back up to her, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
This place just kept getting stranger and stranger, and Hemming found it quite exciting. Compared to his previous pack, there was a lot more to do and his tribemates and neighbours were much more interesting. Having some kind of constant companion would be odd to the male, who was used to solitude, but perhaps it would be nice to have someone that was always there to bounce ideas off of.
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Occ: well, yes, but they're together... at least somehow D8 ...Ah, I'm curious... what kind of animal do you plan for Hemming's Spirit Guide?
Catherine heard him, noticing he hadn't got many explanation about the tribe's legends and spiritual stuff. They were not that different, as she hadn't been warned of the "guidelines" of the tribe and all of that. She only learned about the Spirit Guides when her own shown up to her. It rather forced her to make some embarassing questions to her reptile guardian. At least, he didn't seem to get bothered -or bored- with her interrogatory.
She gave the grass a hard stare. The grayish female knew that the snake was still there. She could almost sense his presence. After a few seconds she glared back to her brand-new friend. Yes, they are. They are spirits that take the shape of an animal, but they don't actually belong to you. You need him, and he needs you. It's kind of weird, she tried to explaine, although the feeling was very difficult to describe. Maybe the only way for him to know how it was would be feeling it himself. Catherine always had the concept that that kind of feeling is unique to everyone.
Well, I know that they can or not be seen by others rather than his guided. And that they can are unique, as everyone else. They have their own personality and shape. And, for yours show itself to you, you'll have to go in a Journey. It's nothing big, but you kight want to talk about it with Dawali. He know best than I do, she said, giving him a hint. Even after being in the tribe for that long, she still was unfamiliar with some traditions.
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I was thinking a Willow Flycatcher 
Though Hemming was feeling as if he was starting to get the hang of the lands of AniWaya and its neighbouring territories, there were so many things he did not yet understand. There were plenty of legends that surrounded him, now, and he was, very slowly, picking them up. The idea of Spirit Guides was a novel one to him, and it got his mind racing. He nodded along to the girl's words, his amber eyes resting on a stalk of grass that was quivering in the distance.
Was the Sprit Guide an extension of the soul? An outward representation of it? Did they take a form and personality that was based off that of the wolf's? So many questions ran through his mind, and he thought hard as Catherine continued to talk. "Very interesting. I will have to talk about it with Dawali, then. Do their personalities represent that of their wolf? Are they spirits of animals, or spirits of wolves that have lived here and died, taking the form of another animal?"
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Occ: AW...! It's the cutest thing ever 8DDD~~ For Attila, I'm between a bear and a cockatiel
Catherine stared coldly to the grass. God damn it, that snake was annoying her! Come here right now!, she demanded through her teeth, as low and demanding as she could.
Reluctantly -as it looked-, the snake slithered slow and lazily back to her. The bright, shinny yellow eyes of the snake stared back to the woman's, in an annoyed way. Are you hidden?, she whispered, her speech almost unhearable but for the snake that now begun to coil along her arm, his blackish head suspended upon the back of her hand. "No.", the snake said, his hissy, harsh voice coming from the black mouth of the reptile, half way opened. Hemming, this is Saw, my Spirit Guide, she presented the both males for each other.
The male's questions intrigated her. It didn't worth asking Saw about those: he wouldn't answer. When that jerk was grumpy or irritated, there was nothing that could break his silence. Well, about the personality, I must say that they don't usually match. It may occour some related features, maybe to make the living, at the very least, possible she said, glancing to the black mamba. But about that soul things, I'm not very sure. I'll have to ask myself to Dawali of that, because you made me curious, she said, an laughed a bit with her own joke. Saw made a pretence of leaving again, but she grabbed his tail. The snake hissed in anger, but she gave an discredited glare at his response. The snake relaxed, but kept where it was, ina shape of an S.
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Haha X) A cockatiel would be funny for him.
A bear would be awesome too... I think it would suit him. :3
Hemming watched in amazement as the snake wound through the grass and up to the female. For a moment he was startled, but fell calm again quickly, noting the way she communicated with him with interest. Saw seemed rather testy at the moment, but the male wolf gave him a sincere smile and a gentle nod. "Hello," he said softly as he observed the creature with awe. It was nice to see that one's Spirit Guide wasn't always directly there, just because Hemming had grown to appreciate some time alone every once in a while. However, maybe he would get used to having someone around constantly.
It was also good to hear that the Spirit Guides didn't seem to reflect one's personality. Hemming could imagine that if there was an additional Hemming around he wouldn't want to run into him that often. They would have their moments, but constant reminders of himself, his flaws and his annoying tendencies, would get overwhelming.
It would make sense if there wasn't much known about these spirit creatures. "They are quite interesting..." He gave the female a smile, and observed the snake a bit more.
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Occ: Yep^^ I'm between those because I'm not sure if it would be more relfected to his behaviour, or it should contrast with him... what do you think?
Catherine smiled to hear the wolf male greeting the moody snake. The snake nodded slowly, replying his greeting. It seemed like they could convive with each other, if the woman and that man happened to meet again and the reptile be wiht them. It felt good as well, to notice the male wasn't afraid of Saw. "Don't get too excited, Catherine" the snake said, the hissy voice disturbed. She laughed inside.
Yes, they are. Even more in the start, when you are still learning about him or her. Believe me, they can be very difficult to understand them, she said, warning him, By her own experience, it even got to be annoying, not know who Saw really was by inside. Even until now, he was still mysterious. She could hope that the male wouldn't have to pass through such difficulty at knowing his Spirit Guide.
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