Out of Character, Word Count, Etc.

The coastline was extraordinary. No matter how often Pripyat combed through the towns, the valley, or the mountain he always seemed to end up back along the ocean's side. Today was no different as the sun beat down upon the lands, hot at its highest peak and causing the sand to shine with an almost intolerable brilliance. One two large feet he moved along, letting his full weight sink fully into the pliable sand before taking his next step. His rank required him to be outside of the pack lands, but it seemed too soon to be venturing forth. Although Arye and he had already walked the coast together, they had both thought it a good idea to branch out and integrate with the others. Arye was certainly doing a better job than the moody boy, but he had expected it to be so. The girl could charm anyone he was sure, and why she kept up with such a sour puss as he Pripyat could not explain but did not wish to complain about it.

The slate colored yearling had taken it all in stride: the move, leaving behind his father, embarking on what seemed a completely new life with Arye. It all had happened to naturally, so normally that Pripyat hardly gave it a second thought. Ichika was still new, but already he felt at ease within the borders. That he could switch so easily from Phoenix Valley to Ichika no Ho-en seemed somewhat of a betrayal to his home lands, but Jefferson had told them to go and so Pripyat knew there wasn't any other way around it. Whether he would be happier here wasn't a worry, but to make himself known and well liked in the pack was. In Phoenix Valley he had been so cut off from the others after the snow storm, he had never shaken that funk fully. It seemed possible here in way it hadn't back home.

And yet the young man sat apart from them all yet again. He was not angry, nor did he particularly wish to keep himself from them, but it seemed just as easy to stay along the shoreline than it did to venture into the lands. They swarmed the coastal towns, they crawled over the abbey and he could be happy among them but the ocean eyed boy found himself settling into the sand on a lonely beach, closing his eyes, and drifting into a light slumber.

Out of Character, Word Count, Etc.

The sun beat down on his fur and skin and yet the warmth was not uncomfortable with the pleasant breeze that came in over the water. Although Pripyat was mostly asleep, he was aware of the pliable sand beneath him, seeming to suspend him up in just the perfectly manner. He was aware of the crashing of the waves against the shoreline, the most pleasant of white noise. Occasionally a sea gull would call out, but this only lulled him into sleep further. All his senses except for sight, blocked by eyelids closed shut, were active and yet he drifter further and further into a sleep. The sounds and smells and the feel of the air all were familiar to him, found on almost any shoreline. As he often did when he began to slip into a sleep deep enough for dreams Arye began to prance in his mind's eyes. Unconsciously the man smiled to himself, unable to image a more peaceful or happy existence right then.

It was an unexpected sound that caused the young man to jolt awake suddenly. Ocean eyes blinked unhappily with the onslaught of sunlight after accustoming themselves to the darkness behind closed eyes. They scanned around for the source of the sound and found none. Confused Pripyat pulled himself in a sitting position, rubbing the back of his head with one large clumsy hand. The sand came off his fur in a shower and when he found his footing and stood tall, he brushed the rest of it off of his back, legs and arms. The sound came again and this time it recognized it as a giggle. It was easier to pinpoint the source of the sound and Pripyat found that it came from the water.

Long but slow strides brought him towards the sound and soon he saw the four legged girl romping the in the spray. A crooked smile formed on his face as he watched her silently, simply enjoying her joy. After a long time he realized how awkward it would be for her to turn and find him simply staring. Inwardly the boy laughed at himself, then brought himself closer, her cheery voice finding its self for the first time that day. "Hey there. What're you up to miss?"

Out of Character, Word Count, Etc.

The yelp that came from the young girl was unexpected and Pripyat flinched at the sound. He hadn't meant to surprise or scare the girl, but that was the result and a small twinge of guilt formed in the pit of his stomach. Yet as Prip watched her it seemed she did not see him clearly, and it was only when she came to shore and shook herself free of the salty water that her frightened eyes found him. And it was then he too got a chance to inspect her closer. Skinny and frail on all four legs, the girl was the opposite of the two legged man just then. He stood tall and though still not fully developed it was clear that the muscles underneath his thick fur would someday be massive.

The girl seemed to relax a little, perhaps realizing that he was an Ichikan, therefore her brother, or perhaps because the gentle smile persisted on his thin ebony lips. And yet to his greeting she said nothing and merely they stood there regarding each other. Finally a reply came, but it was troubling to the boy. No words met his own and his brow furrowed in confusion. Yet by he actions it was clear the girl was trying to communicate. Could she not speak? Never before had Pripyat encountered someone who could not speak, he hadn't considered it before. Simply he had taken it for granted that speech was inherent to all of them.

And yet there was a time that hadn't been so. Years and years ago before the virus had mutated their genes, they had all communicated by the simplest and most basic means. Barks, yips, and growls and they had all gotten by just fine back then. The girl before him seemed a relic from a time long ago and Pripyat hoped that enough primal instincts lurked in him for them to understand one another. "Oh hey, that's okay." A smile to accompany the comforting words. "My name's Pripyat." And what was her's? Did she have one? And Pripyat wondered if that was a silly thing to wonder, of course she had a name… if only she could say it.

Sooo sorry for the wait! Life has been hectic.

Pripyat watched mildly amused as the older girl hopped around him. Although she was more advanced in age than she, it was almost as if she were a puppy and he an adult. The difference in their size contributed to the feeling Pripyat had then. Perhaps it was an age issue at all, perhaps it was that he was in optime and she in lupus—the more natural and primal of the two. For so long he had walked about on two legs, the young man almost had forgotten what it was like to run on all four. The way the girl bounced here and there, and bowed down at him in a playful manner was very familiar, and yet Pripyat almost felt uncomfortable watching her do so.

"Mmm...m-my n-naaame...Tah-wa...n-ny." The silent girl spoke, although it seemed with much difficulty. Could she not speak? Was that then also contributing to the dissimilarity Pripyat felt between them? Yet she spoke enough and Pripyat smiled warmly at her. “Tawny?” He had no reason to wish for her to feel uncomfortable, and so he continued, trying to fill in the silences. “It’s nice to meet you Tawny. Did you come with Dahlia de Mai?” Although he knew she had, because if she had been of Phoenix Valley he would already recognize her name and face.

Watching her still, the ash colored boy could not shake the strange feeling that they were not on equal levels. And yet, there was nothing really to make one more or less than the other. Regarding her the boy scratched his head, and then nodded as if to himself. “Hold on.” The shift began almost immediately. His body shrunk and lengthened and in a few minutes he stood before her, their shapes mirroring one another now. The size difference between them still existed, but it was a natural one—his large body only inches taller now rather than feet. “How’s this?” He smiled and imitated her hop, bowing down his chest with his front feet extended. It felt foreign and familiar all at the same time just then.

BLEH! Sorry again for the wait. Short posts XD

With his own transformation complete, Pripyat Soul noted a small transformation in Tawny. It was not her shape, as it had been for him, but something internal as she seemed to relax with his new form. That he could ease her discomfort so easily pleased him, for although the boy often seemed cool and aloof he was undeniably sensitive to the moods of others. When she responded to his play bow, Pripyat couldn’t help but break into a grin. The nudge on his should was the last sensation he felt before he broke loose.

Four feet began to pound after her, and it did not even occur to the boy that he was acting a child—with someone not Arye. That he felt comfortable enough to let himself go was peculiar, as never on Phoenix Valley had he felt so at ease in the last months. Only Arye had ever taken the edge off of his moods, but now he sprinted after the girl he hardly knew, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Perhaps letting go of past troubles would be easier in Ichika than he had originally thought.

It did not take long for the boy to come up to the girl, his longer legs were more than capable of matching her speed. As he came shoulder to shoulder with her he let out a low “woof”, nipped at her ear and turned sharply in the other direction. He had tagged her and now he turned up the shoreline, leading the pair in a new direction.