Word Count :: --- :: this is a weird starter, sorry. she's in the greenhouse, if that's okay? i figure wraith can cause some trouble and make her angry or something? lol. or whatever. :3
Worry had clouded her thoughts in recent weeks, and it had not subsided. Although Sage kept most of her routines the same, and managed to remain cheery and bright, there was sadness in her. After speaking with Talitha she had felt like more of an outcast than ever. Despite their differences, the tanned girl had always hoped that they would be able to live together without trouble, that they might even one day share her belief in the goodness in people. But more and more she had realized that it wasn't as easy as all that, and it seemed her attempt may have been doomed from the start.
With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, she pulled herself from her thoughts, puffing silently in the corner of the greenhouse with a freshly rolled joint. Sure, the herb was still damp-- but she didn't care. Amidst her plants (many of which were thriving now from the more frequent attention they were getting) she sat, letting the damp, deliciously fresh air fill her lungs and head. Chocolate-colored locks tossed out of her face, and her mind melted into the earth, completely immersed in this free moment, alone and with things she loved.
The Optio's thoughts had slowed, and she merged into a dream-like state; her eyes were open, but her mind traveled from that spot. She imagined being on the cliffs of Cours des Miracles with Lady Alaine; the first and last time she had met the colliewoman. The pair had spent a wonderful few hours together with, and then without their steeds; Sage had since longed to glimpse that shared, hidden paradise again. Patterned, peaceful breaths kept her locked for minutes in this relaxing, self-exploring daze.
With her mother gone, Wraith had been spending more time with her father’s side of the family. She didn’t recognize them as such, but she understood instinctively that they were related to her in a different way than her mother. Today, she had been with Talitha, but had gotten punted off to Hybrid when Priest, Cerunnos and Vermilion had gotten to be too much for Talitha to handle. Luckily, Hybrid was not a very observant father and Wraith was able to escape with ease. Hybrid seemed to be under the impression that she would be going with Valkyrie or Talitha somewhere; but wherever that was, she didn’t know. So instead, she decided to venture out from the old mansion to the strange building behind it. It was very bright and there were a lot of small plants in tiny houses, so they looked very cute and pretty. Wraith liked things that were pretty, but she also understood that being strong was more important.
She quietly padded in through an open door, staring in wonder at the different plants. She couldn’t identify them as anything more than ‘small trees,’ and since trees were so big, tall, and strong; these had to be very strong too. They were just babies, little ones like she was.
“Haw tuff aw you mistuh!” she asked one in particular. She gave it a bat with her front paw and grinned when it fell over, but returned quickly. She sniffed at it, wondering what the weird smell was. She could smell it coming from over in another corner and it was sort of the same, but not quite as strong. She continued sniffing the plant and then felt her nose tickle when the leaves touched it. She felt her chest clench up and then – suddenly! – she sneezed right onto the plant. Gross!
“You mean!” she told the plant and took a big bite out of it to show it who was boss.
Something had disturbed her. In her half-asleep state, Sage hadn't noticed the puppy's scent right away, but golden eyes had fluttered slowly open, head turnings lazily to gaze in either direction. She still hadn't seen anything, but then a small voice came quickly to her. Dark ears shot forward and she stood carefully, brushing broken leaves and stems from her skirt. She hadn't understood the child, but moments later came a distinct crashing sound, the leaves of one of her prized plants rustling noisily as it fell into others. With a concerned frown, she moved quickly through leafy pathways towards the fallen green.
Sage stopped several feet away, her gaze stopping on the light, creamy-russet pup just as her small teeth closed around one large leaf of the lovely plant. The Optio make a wrinkled face; she knew that the plant wouldn't taste good, and expected the puppy to find the same. Still, with a small chuckle, she asked, "How does that taste?"
After a moment, Sage walked over to the plant and stood it back up at it's full height. The girl had thankfully done little damage to it; the leaves weren't the precious part, after all. Golden eyes fell down to the small girl, and Sage crouched to get closer to her level. "You must be one of Aeron's girls," she commented. The girl could not have been much less than a purebred coyote; her creamy-russet coloring gave that away easily.
Wraith jumped when she heard a coyote speak. When did she get there?! Wraith whirled around, wondering if it was the Mean Lady she met the last time she had tried to come here. Although this lady looked a bit like Mean Lady, they were obviously different. To Wraith, all the coyotes here kind of looked the same, so she couldn’t really tell the difference. However, this lady was not quite as big or scary. Wraith was set a bit at ease, but still remembering the big scary coyote, she retreated a step.
Of course, when the lady asked her how it tasted, she had to reply with a boisterous, “yuck!” Wraith had never eaten a plant like this before. Sometimes she really wanted to eat grass -- and didn’t know why -- but other than that, she didn’t really like eating green things.
When the lady mentioned Aeron, Wraith visibly brightened. She replied with a big grin and a nod before she remembered her mommy had left. Her ears drooped and then she shook her head.
"Yeah, buh naw anymawre," she explained. "Now I daddy girl. He Hi-beed. An’ live with sis Val and big sis Tal. An’ brudder Nat and sisser Loocee an’ Tal babies Sir, Prees, and Urr," she explained, proudly remembering every single name. She still couldn’t say Vermilion, but neither could Vermilion, so that was okay.
Sage couldn't help but giggle as the child instantly recoiled at the taste of the plant; she knew that wouldn't turn out so well. The Optio had once learned the same way that the plant didn't taste quite as good as it's leaves or smoke smelled.
The puppy's emotions were fickle, and at the mention of her mother's name the girl became excited, but then quickly sad, her features drooping pitifully. Sage's black-lined lips relaxed into a concerned frown. Aeron and Io had both left Inferni, and word was that they now lived in Anathema. Their children remained here, something that Sage had thought odd; but it seemed the warrior woman's babes were thriving in the Inferni climate so far. Her concerns were quickly put aside as the tawny pup began to rattle off the names of her current family. Hybrid, the intimidating warrior, was caring for her now, she said, but Sage wondered how much of the rearing he was actually doing.
The child's speech was quick and sloppy, but Sage recognized nearly every name that she had spoken, save the names of Talitha's newborn children; ones she had yet to meet. "What a wonderfully large family!" she commented brightly, smiling. "But where are they now? Do they know that you're here, sweet one?" The greenhouse, while relatively harmless, was not really the best place for an unattended pup.
When Sage commented on her large family, Wraith giggled gleefully. She had so many friends! It was so much fun! When she didn't like playing with Lucy anymore, she could play with Nat; and when Nat was being a dumb boy, she and Lucy could do real fun things. Even though Hybrid was kind of boring, sometimes he did things like tell her about Inferni and how to be a real good coyote. She already knew from him that eating wolves was definitely a coyote thing to do, but she suspected eating these plants was not. They were gross! He would not approve. She tried to spit out the remainder of the leaves that were stuck between her teeth, but all she ended up doing was drool on the floor. She licked her chops and then looked back up at the lady when she realized she'd been staring at her own drool.
"Hi-beed thinks Imma with someone else, which is true, cuz I'm witchu!" She gave the lady a big big grin and then asked, "do you wanna be my fammee too? We can play! What do you do? Hi-beed makes dem walkie thingies around 'Fernee and Val has a big birdie and Tal has dem puppies and dat funny mister who talks silly. They all do stuff! Whaddaya do!" She added a few more wags of her tail to emphasize her point -- and how incredibly excited she was to have another friend!
Since her chance encounter with young Cours puppy Arnette so many months ago, Sage had longed for the presence of puppies. And now, finally, Inferni had their own; the earth-toned girl couldn't have been happier. While she couldn't condone the girl being away from her less-than-charming father, she couldn't really blame her. So instead, she beamed right back at the girl, staring as she spoke with the gleeful smile and warm heart that only the antics of children could bring. In spite of her father's introversion, the young one was simply brimming with excitement and energy. Sage's smile only widened as golden eyes fixed on the girl, who had once again launched into long-winded, adorable speech.
Eventually, the girl quieted, and Sage caught up to her rapid-fire words. "Of course I'll be your family; but I need to know your name first! I'm Sage," she introduced happily, laughing. With a brief moment to decide on her words, Sage replied to her question as simply as she could. "I visit the other packs to help keep the friendships between us strong, so that we don't go to war." Sage wondered what the girls thought on war was at such a young age, or if she even knew about it at all. It had been several months before Sage had been exposed to violence, and she hoped it was the same for this little one.
Wraith giggled and squeed in excitement when Sage said she'd be a part of her family. That was so exciting! Wraith wanted everyone to be a part of her family. Her daddy said that there were a whole bunch who were a part of her family and were all warriors like he was. Wraith thought this lady was too nice to be a big mean warrior, so she was happy to have some more nice family members. Val and Tal were super fun, but after being with them every single day, they weren't always very excited to go play and Wraith realized she needed to diversify.
Wraith listened wide-eyed as Sage explained what she did, wondering if she could do something like that. Maybe she could be just like Sage (and daddy too!) She had never been outside of Inferni, but daddy said that everyone else was stupid, rude, and mean; so she guessed Sage had a really important job if everyone else was incompetent and Inferni was the only good pack around these parts.
"I'mma Waif! Imma Waif Ceed! Dere are lots o' dem letters in mah name I canna say good! Daddy says I was named after dem ghostie thingies because I'm so scary!" He giggled and then suddenly remembered what Sage had said about the other packs. "Why dy'a talk to dem udder packs missy? Daddy says dem all stupids wolfs and he's always protecting Feerni from dem woofs and walking 'round an' stuff! He says he liked dem wars and Feerni is boring now! What's a war, Sage!"
For a child named for something frightening, she was far from it. Sage had forgotten just how energetic children were. It had been so long since she'd spent longer than a moment with any child. Wraith seemed happy, excitable, and fairly normal for a girl her age; Sage wondered if the father had little to do with her upbringing, after all. Still, though; pups rightfully born on Inferni soil were coddled and easily molded to fit in with all of the rest. Talitha was surely raising her own children with that same way; they would never feel out of place here, she knew. In a way, Sage envied them.
Shaking away those upsetting thoughts, Sage brought her pleasant expression back in full force. "Oh my," she breathed, head falling back in mock fear, "you are quite scary, aren't you!" But then, just as quickly, the child's thoughts and questions turned to something more serious. Sage wasn't really prepared to discuss war with a child; her own mind had been worrying over the news of the warring in the south, but she had been trying not to think of it much. "Wars are dangerous and scary, Wraith; maybe when you're a bit older we can talk about that some more..." she trailed off, hoping that she could lead the conversation away. After a pause for thought, Sage took a quick breath and said, "They aren't all... stupid just because they're wolves, sweet one," she cooed, trying to explain it gently. "Wolves have little girl children just like you, you know. I met one once, in fact..." Maybe Sage's stories about her wolf friends could be interesting enough to keep the child from becoming another prejudiced coyote in Inferni.
Wraith bobbed her head excitedly in response when Sage agreed that she was, indeed, quite scary. Yep yep yep, Wraith was the scariest puppy of them all! She would frown at her siblings lots like Hybrid did, but they just laughed at her. Though, Wraith knew that they were just pretending because she was so incredibly fearsome. But when Sage said she wasn’t old enough to discuss wars, Wraith had to disagree.
“Well imma scary and wars are scary, so it’s okay! Daddy says I gotsta learn abouts tha world so he tells me alls bouts it, like dat pack up north that lives on the mountain and the woofs that bug him so he gotsta walky round the borders to keep us safe! Daddy doesn’t lie cuz he’s my daddy and he says dey be stupid! So does scary lady! Scary lady says I’m too little to nom nom nom a wolf so I gotsta be big so I can, see!” Wraith didn’t like hearing that wolves weren’t stupid, because daddy and scary lady seemed to agree that they were. So, this time, she decided to question this logic.
“If dey nots stupids, why dey always buggin’ us? Daddy’s always walky-ing rounds ‘Ferni to makes sure dems not bugs us!” She nodded affirmatively, understanding inherently that her logic could not be flawed, because that would mean everything daddy did was useless. And daddy wasn’t useless, was he?
She didn’t really know what to say about the other wolves puppies’ comment. It just confused her, so she gave Sage a confused look, wondering what she meant by that.
Word Count :: --- :: <3 we can move them around or something if you want xD maybe sage could teach wraith something too...
Sage shook off her first statement with a laugh, but when Wraith continued, Sage's expression became more serious. Her eyes only widened, and her frown only deepened as she heard the girl speak. The words that came out were not the words of any innocent child she had known; Sage could tell that they had been well versed when she was amongst her kin. The Optio took a deep breath, sighing heavily and looking away from the girl for a moment. Wraith was so impressionable; they all were, at that age. Sage's own memories of that age were foggy, but always pleasant and happy. There had been no dark thoughts or violent acts, that much she knew. Golden eyes turned back to the girl, now truly concerned.
"Not all of the wolves are... stupid, Wraith; but the ones that try to come too close without invitation or request..." she paused, almost feeling bad but realizing that perhaps it was true. Anyone who would knowingly antagonize Inferni and it's lands would not be treated with much mercy. Sage cleared her throat quickly. "Well, those... are the stupid ones." The word sounded foreign on her tongue, but maybe this way, if at least some of the wolves were still stupid, she might not turn out as cold as her father had.
Sage rose to stand now, feeling the soreness in her legs from squatting for so long. "Your daddy sure teaches you a lot, huh?" Razekiel hadn't been very involved in Sage's childhood, but the few memories of his teaching she did have were fond. "What else has he taught you about?" She had to know, just what had she learned in her mere four months of age?
I like that idea! Also omg Wraith just keeps going and going... 8D
Wraith wondered why the lady had such a weird look on her face. Wraith had seen this before: her daddy's frown was a constant fixture on his face, and usually when he had that look, he was going to say something very crabby. That was the word Wraith had heard someone use to describe it, which made sense, since her daddy was indeed like a crab. He was always hunched over and scuttling around places all quick-like!
So, expecting some sort of sermon -- like the sorts from her daddy -- Wraith settles her bum down on the ground and watched the coyote lady with wide, attentive eyes. She nodded quickly. Yep yep! That was what daddy said. He said they were rude and mean for doing that when Inferni just wanted to be left alone from thems. She didn't know how all wolves couldn't be stupid, but she quietly tucked that piece of information away to think about later. Right now, it contradicted everything else she knew, so she'd just have to think later.
Well, Wraith began in response to Sage's question, he teaches me how to be good, like how to say dem words nice to peoples who needs dem. Like he says Gabe is good and Kaena is good and some person thingy named Halo is kind of good. And he says Ez... see... seekie the leader but Gabriel was leader before and stuffs like that. She frowned and then added in a whisper: I don't think he likes dem Seekie much, hmm. Oh! And! And! And! Sometimes! He takes me! On dem walkie thingies! They nots much funs and I get tireds and he says I'm still little which isn't true cuz I'mma lotsa big! But he saids things like 'Ferni used-ta be over dems mountains and other stuffs and talkies 'bouts things. He dun like to talkie bout dems sister though, he dun like talkie bouts dat, so dats why you gets to be my sister! So I get lots!
Word Count :: --- :: teeny bit of pp to get them outsiiideee <3
Sage had anticipated a long-winded response from the girl, and she got just that. The Optio listened patiently, smiling and nodding, though she began to move towards the exit of the greenhouse, beginning to feel slight uncomfortable from the thick moisture in the air. Wraith followed her without qualms, chattering away. Sage laughed as she tried to pronounce Ezekiel's name. "Ee-zee-kee-el," she corrected gently, knowing that odd letters like Z's were hard for the young tongue. "The Aquila is Gabriel's son," she added happily, unsure if the pup knew that or not.
Moving outside, Sage could breathe better again, and took a deep breath of the flowery air; the roses were blooming and smelled simply wonderful. "Your daddy has taught you a lot, Wraith!" She grinned at the girl, walking leisurely towards the small lake on the outskirts of the Mansion, if only for a change of scenery. She didn't agree with Hybrid taking the girl on his patrols, but she kept silent about that. After all, the child wasn't hers. "Who's your sister? Why doesn't he like talking about her?" Concerned brows furrowed again. What other oddities did this family hold?
That is a-okay! And holy crap sorry for the wait. q__q
Wraith shook her head vigorously when Sage re-pronounced the name. That was exactly like how she'd said it! Why was Sage saying dem silly things like this? Obviously they both knew who Wraith would talking about otherwise Sage would have been very confused. Sometimes, Wraith thought the big adults weren't as smart as everyone thought they were, especially when they went around "pulling stunts like this." That was a phrase she'd heard her daddy use and she thought it was very applicable in this situation, especially since she was pretty certain of its meaning.
Wraith nodded again quickly when Sage told her Ezekiel was Gabe's son. Yeah mah daddy tells me dat! she explained. She trotted alongside with Sage, every so often wandering a bit too close and nearly bumping into the older coyote. Aside from that, she was doing a pretty good job at this whole walking thing. She remembered when she'd been much smaller and it had been so hard! Sometimes she still tripped, but she thought she was doing really well today.
Huuh? Wraith replied loudly. No, it wasn't Wraith's sister -- that was the wrong one, silly! Nuhuh, it's his sister, uh... Fow-wee, I think. I dunno her name super duper good though. No, my sisters is Lucy and Val-kree and dems my goods sisters! I don't think Hybrid don't not like dems! Why, do you think he not likes dems? Why! They dems so nice! Val-kree is super smarts and Lucy is so fun! How could someone not like dems! That would... be.. like if some dems din' like yous! She explained with with a grave expression, unsure if Sage understood how impossible it would be to dislike Valkyrie or Lucilla.
Man, kids sure talked a lot! Sage hadn't remembered that from her time with Juniper Peace. Perhaps because there had been so many more children there, she thought. Or maybe Wraith was just a chatty little girl. Sage could do little besides grin and nod at the girl, amused by her energy and smarts. Clearly, Sage just couldn't keep up. "Good, good!" The Optio wondered how many other good things Hybrid had taught the little one.
When Sage realized that she had misunderstood the girl, she gave a gasp of realization. "Oh, no, I didn't mean that! I'm sure your daddy likes them just fine!" she said, quickly correcting herself. She didn't want to make the girl upset, after all. The girl moved swiftly towards the lake, hoping to find a place to settle down and relax. She wondered how cold the water was this time of year, but decided against getting in just yet. "Do you know how to swim, Wraith?" she asked, unable to remember how old she was when she first got into the water. Swimming in Optime wasn't her favorite thing, since her hair always took so long to dry, but on four legs she loved to paddle around in the cool water.
[/html]Well! Wraith was very glad to hear that her daddy liked her sisters. She had been very worried for a moment thinking that he didn't and that maybe one of them had done something bad without telling Wraith. Wraith didn't like not knowing things, so that would have been a very grave offense. Soon enough, she realized that Sage had led her outside -- and she hadn't even noticed! Well, that was okay; her adventure to the Greenhouse had been very fun and since it was such a nice day, Wraith was happy to be outside again.
Sage asked if she knew how to swim. Wraith didn't know what that meant, so naturally, she asked.
"Ummmm nope! What's a swim! Can you make a swim? How can I do a swim? What's that!" she demanded. Whatever it was, the word sounded interesting. Wraith said it a few more times to herself, not sure what the word meant, but curious to know what it was and how she'd learn to do it, whatever it was.[html]
Ohh, how exciting! Sage appreciated the opportunity for a dip; she was probably due for a bath anyways. She grinned at the girl as she removed her skirt and shifted onto four legs after a several long moments. "You've never been swimming?!" she asked excitedly, stretching out on four tawny limbs. It felt strange to not have hands, but being closer to the ground let her travel faster. It was fun sometimes.
She bolted quickly from where she was standing, enjoying the different freedom of this form. Her bushy tail wagged with her entire backside as she tried to entice Wraith into playing with her, following her. "Come on! Follow me!" And from there the adult took off towards the lake. Once near, she slowed slightly as her body propelled through the air into a perfect bellyflop in the cold water. She gasped for air for a moment before the cold became comfortable again, and she paddled back towards the shore. The water here was shallow enough for the girl to play safetly. "Come on, just jump in the water here! Keep your head above the water and pretend like you're running in it!" Sage encouraged the girl, paddling in circles slightly farther out. At this age, she should have no trouble learning to swim. Sage thought she should have learned much sooner.
[/html] When Sage asked Wraith if she'd ever been swimming, Wraith shouted, "no!" and stamped her back leg petulantly. How could she swim if she didn't know what it was? She wanted to know! Why wasn't the lady telling her? Wraith began to feel overwhelmed and desperately wanted to know what the word meant how to do it. She made a pouting face, but quickly forgot when Sage asked her to follow along. She felt better immediately since she wanted to know this big cool secret, so all previous concerns were forgotten.
She followed the lady through the forest, up and down hills, and eventually found herself beside the lake. She had to run to keep up with the older coyote since her legs weren't as long and she wasn't as coordinated. She screeched to a stop when she saw that the lady was going to go in the water. What! Why would you do that? That was silly!
Wraith squeaked when Sage ran and then leaped into the water. "No!" she shouted, worried that Sage would fall under and die. But nothing of the sort happened. Sage beckoned Wraith in, so Wraith trotted closer to the water's edge. She peered down at the water lapping at her toes suspiciously. Even though Sage was doing that swimmy thing really well, Wraith didn't know how well she'd do.
"Okay, but can I stay over in the less tall waters? I'm not as big as you okay! Is that okay!" she demanded. She took a few steps into the water and giggled as it tickled her feet. "Ohohoh do I have to start walking now or once I'm in? I don't want to fall!" [html]
She was still shivering lightly at the chill, but her muscles were quickly warming as she moved through the water. Sage turned towards Wraith as she squealed, surprised at her worried tone. After a gasp, she giggled and shook her head. It's alright, Wraith! she encouraged in soft tones. The tawny pup put her feet in the water and stood, giggling. You can stay in whatever waters you like. Had she really never seen someone swim before? With a laugh, Sage replied simply, Keep coming; when your feet don't touch the ground, start paddling... er, running in the water, like this! Her movements became exaggerated as she demonstrated the concept to the child. The Optio was nearer to the girl now, so that she could see her movements through the clear water. Her legs kicked underneath her silently now as she watched the girl's attempts. After a few moments, a cream paw jumped out to splash her gently. Maybe if it became a game, it would be less scary, she reasoned. Her fur was wet down to the skin by now, and she probably looked quite silly, but Sage felt wonderful.
Do you wanna end this here? We can fade out to happy times. <3
[html]
[/html] With the nice lady's encouragement, Wraith slowly -- but surely -- made her way into the water. She yelped loudly once she felt her legs get really cold, but kept going. If the lady could do it, so could she! She was a big girl and was determined to prove this. Nothing could stop her! She was going to be a swimming machine!
As Wraith inched farther into the water, she felt herself begin to loose balance. Then, the lady threw water at her! Wraith squeeled and fell over. She began to panic and thrashed about and suddenly... she was swimming! It was like walking -- but in the air! This was so cool!
She drank a big gulp of water and then tried to shoot it at the lady. She ended up running out of air and had to take a big breath.
She paddled around and quickly returned to shallower water, where she was able to touch the bottom if she needed. "Lookit meee! I'm swimming!" she shouted in delight. This was so much fun! [html]
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Also omg Wraith just keeps going and going... 8D
We can fade out to happy times. <3 
