A youthful snarl erupted from her short muzzle as she viciously slammed her forepaws into the corpse. It made some squelching noises and she growled fiercely. With dogged determination, she use her front paws to slam into the body again. This time, it didn't just squelch, it crunched and her teeth glinted in glee that the dead mouse had finally done what she had wanted it to do. Lowering her head, the D'Angelo princess picked up the rodent by its tail and swung it from one side to the other. It naturally moved back and forth while she walked. The girl's gait was almost a prance, with legs lifted high as she moved. At least... as high as her stubby little puppy legs could go.
She was very close to the den - barely outside - and she had likely received the dead mouse from her parents to use as a plaything. Very clearly she had taken it upon herself to claim the body by utilizing her strange affinity for smashing her paws into things. This had started when she was younger - kneading her mother's side to encourage milk flow had turned into jumping forcefully on her siblings' backs - and now manifested itself in a (slightly) more reasonable/useful circumstance. Her tail twitched from one side to the other in time with the mouse as she walked; she had no real intent to go anywhere of meaning. In fact, she was going in a rather small circle around her family's home. Still, it felt good to show off her "kill" to the world at large.
It irked him, that he had not yet been presented with Eris' children. As a leader, the ebony woman was less than secretive, oozing her lack of knowledge in his direction constantly. He taught her with little patience, but taught her regardless, and the pair seemed to have formed a sinisterly close bond. Likewise, his link to the litter's father was immensely firm - Larkspur was perhaps the Thistle King's most devoted subject, and since that day on the mountain where the bear had taken his tail, the usually paranoid and suspicious monarch held a large store of faith within the giant D'Angelo male.
So it was with irritability that the Boss set off towards the place he knew to be their dwelling. The time had come for him to meet the Auxiliary's offspring, and he would judge their value with a keen, predatory eye. The ruler hoped that they would reflect the same suitability of their older siblings; Salvia, in particular, had proved her worth in many ways.
The King traveled on his own four legs, something he did extremely rarely due to a high preference for his more civilized two-legged form. Sirius was well known for his strong streak of vanity, and his seductive reputation proceeded him amongst many of the female encounters he had had within the land of 'Souls. However, on this day the monarch's darkly handsome features were distorted by brooding annoyance. Large paws carried the hunter with ease, an endless lope that swallowed ground beneath the shadowy ruler and carried him through the crumbling ruins. It was there, near the entrance of Eris' den, that the girl was first seen.
Apparently as-yet unseen, the Thistle King paused, his venomous olive-green eyes spitting curiosity from amongst a dark face of chocolate and cream. Large coyote ears pricked forward from a wolfish head, for his hybrid blood had made him tall but unmistakably rangy and lean. Pupils narrowed as the followed the prancing pup, who held in her maw a small lump of fur that was presumably her dinner. A slow, dangerous crocodile smile spread across the maw of the leader, setting his yellow teeth to glinting as he padded forth from the shadowy ruins and into view. "Hello, little huntress," Came the syrupy tenor swell of the male's voice, luring the little girl's attention. He wondered if she could speak yet, wondered if she had an understanding of his silvery words. "Erisspawn, I assume?" The question was asked more to himself than to her, as the King prowled towards her, eager for a closer look.
She was developing her personality without even realizing it. This pride in her accomplishments and even simply the "claiming" of her mouse were markers of a youth with dominant tendencies. The girl had also shown this when she play wrestled with her sisters. She was a forceful pup that did her best to aggressively let her position be known. The little dark D'Angelo refused to let herself be dominated by any of her littermates. Even if she lost a wrestling match, the headstrong girl would find some way to assert her position again. Though there were those she had to respect as dominant wolves - all adults at this point - she was determined to someday be something of importance herself. Maybe she would be an Auxiliary like her mother or an Arbiter like her father. Her thought process hadn't really progressed beyond that simple desire: to be like her parents.
Her parading around was at an end before she was really finished with it, though. Someone had come out of the shadows with a smile on his face and words that fell into her ears and coated them with syrupy goodness. The sounds appealed to her, attempted to draw her in to him. The small dark cub was not so easily swayed as just that. Though she had faith in the safety that she had within Salsola, there was still a caution toward strangers that was both instinctive and taught to her. At first when he had appeared out of the darkness, she stood very still and watched him; then her boldness overrode her concerns and she walked closer to him. The mouse had not been forgotten, though it still currently dangled from her mouth. This wolf was far more interesting than her mouse, though. Who was he? What was he doing here? Would he play with her?
Ataxia twitched her nose, her baby blue eyes darting closely across the much larger male. He had dark fur but it was not as dark as hers. She had caught the color of his eyes briefly, but she hadn't looked into his gaze. That was disrespectful and she would not let her gaze rest on the eyes of anyone who was not beneath her in rank. He had somehow melted into the shadows as if he was one of them. She had not even noticed him until he had wanted her to notice. This didn't make her afraid, though. Even in the darkest shadows of Salsola, none lived here that would wish ill upon her. She was the daughter of the Auxiliary and an Arbiter; who would dare raise one claw to harm her? Little did she know that here stood the one wolf with more position than her mother. In her mind, her mother was the highest point of the pack. So far she hadn't met someone that was higher. Though Eris had told them of Sirius, it was almost more of a myth or an idea to Ataxia than a real wolf at that point. After all, Eris was the sun of Ataxia's world; what else could there be higher than the sun?
"Erissssss." she intoned, always liking the rolling "sssss" sound at the end of her mother's name. "Mama. Who you?" she asked, stepping forward boldly. Her tail was still behind her, waiting to see whether it should wag or tuck beneath her to show respect.
Sirius is totally doing a 'Scar from The Lion King' impersonation right now XD >> 3+
The girl went very still as her eyes finally made contact with the thick plushness of his dark fur - The man also stilled, one large and wickedly-clawed paw dangling hesitantly in the air, waiting for a mental order to be placed down again. Those dangerous acidic eyes watched her with predatory keen-ness, at one imprinting a mental image of the girl to memory. The frozen paw was allowed to touch ground, and it spread out beneath his weight, dark claws nipping at the surface of the compact ground.
Her scent was drawn in next, and it was unmistakably coated with that of Eris'. The Auxiliary had a powerful smell, and any who sniffed at the pup would know immediately of the rank she held through her mother. Although little more than a ball of puff, the charcoal-hued girl already held much power in the lands of Salsola; That was simply how the hierarchy worked, here. The order was held in blood, and there was only one being who had more royal blood than Eris herself.
His Cheshire grin remained, welcoming the little angel toward him. After her wary pause, the girl did as he subconsciously wished, and a flush of pleasure within the monarch rewarded the child's bold antics. Ah, so she IS a huntress, just like her sister... Excellent. Her mother's name was echoed in a sweetly childish voice, and Sirius' huge ears flicked forward to catch the following words. A croon swelled in the depths of his throat - A rumble that could have been a growl, but was undeniably filled with amusement. It spilled out into a chuckle as the Thistle King's pink tongue lolled between his wicked jaws. Haunches sank to the earth, and slinking shoulders soon did likewise, so that the Boss lay on his belly, lowering his height so that he could gaze more directly at the girl without scaring her. "I assume your mama will have told you about me, dear child," Came the luring swell of his voice, deep and masculine and always sinister, "I am your uncle. I am also your King." The toes on his forepaws rolled much like drumming fingers might have, as the small rabbit-bob remainder of his once long and beautiful tail wagged once, slowly. Eris' older litter had deemed him as their uncle, for Eris was his closest family, even if not by blood. It made sense for her newest litter to do likewise. "Sirius Revlis, sweet girl. And what might your name be?"
YESSSS that is my favorite Disney villain ever!
[html]
He smelled of her home. Not her den site, but the smells that she always smelled when she was walking outside. Either his smell was intrinsically bound with the land or vice versa. Perhaps it was both. In any case, she trusted in the Family and she did not fear. Though she was wary, she was not afraid that he would cause her harm. Nonetheless, she did feel more comfortable when he lowered his body to be more level with her own body. It made them more at a level with one another. Her tail began to wag slightly, her head tilting to the side with curious, interested young intelligence.
As he spoke again, his words maintained that sugary taste. She could almost feel it on her tongue, rolling around in her mouth after he had finished talking. The young wolf liked the way that he talked. Previously she had a deeply rooted desire to sound like her father. As she listened, she began to feel that when she got older, she would like to pick up some of the saccharine qualities that the King's voice had. This was a voice of power and a voice of royalty. The sinister qualities to it just accented the sweetness that overlaid it. Ataxia felt herself liking both sides - the sweet and the dark. As the daughter of the Auxiliary, she already bore blood that gave her privilege. It would be up to her to show she deserved it, though, and to ultimately prove herself.
When he introduced himself, she dipped a bit lower and her ears flicked back. Her tail waggled so that her entire rump also moved from one side to the other in a display of the energy behind her enthusiasm. Ataxia had wanted to meet the King, though she didn't fully comprehend what it meant. "Sssssiriussssss." she mimicked, very pleased by the "s" sound on both ends of the name. Her teeth curved into a pretty little grin, though it was edged with something that seemed almost... dark? Perhaps that was a misstatement because she was not even aware yet of the difference between good and bad, darkness and light. But there was certainly something deeper to that smile than just the mindless amusement of a child. Somewhere, deep down, some of her personality traits began to break through. "Mama tol', unca. King." she replied, indicating she already knew who he was. "I Ataxia D'Angelo." sadly no "s" sounds in her name.
Yes, he's my favourite too <3 Sorry for totally spree-posting you! >> 3+
She was an intelligent child. He could see it in the way she gazed back at him, with clear, quick eyes. Canny like her mother, perhaps - Maybe instinctive, like her father. Many often assumed Larkspur to be slow of wit, but the girl's father had a different sort of intelligence, one that was primal more than it was mental.
There was only one reason that Sirius had control over the massive mountain that was Larkspur D'Angelo. It had been decided between them - not verbally, but primitively, chemically - that the Revlis man was dominant. Something within the King's very blood made him a leader, a man that men followed. Many thought it to be his mind, a mechanism so fast and so complex that some said his genius bordered on madness. Such a sharply bladed intelligence was necessary, for Sirius was surely not the strongest of men, not the largest nor the fastest. He was a far better hunter than he was a fighter, and this was how it had always been.
The genius within him was constantly measuring the girl, storing her reactions, weighing her against everything he had experienced before. She would be new, unique, unlike any other creature on this forsaken land, and the prospect of this excited the greedy monarch. His volatile eyes, a color that sent shivers down the spines of many mortal creatures, watched her with the intensity that a crocodile watches the deer on the bank. Reptilian, but curious - Waiting to see what opportunities would be presented by this simple interaction.
She knew his name - he could tell by the way her ears flicked back submissively. Eris must have been preaching to her children, and the thought of this made amusement bubble warmly within his belly. The girl echoed his voice once more, hissing the start and end of his name in a bizarre way that made him think, briefly, of a serpent. What a glorious creature she could turn out to be! The girl smiled, a pretty little vixen smile full of sharp puppy teeth. The monarch recognized something within that grin, but it was gone before he could pinpoint the cause of familiarity. Unca. The corners of his black lips twitched upward in amusement. "Very good, little one," came the croon once more, bobtail wagging again, "Ataxia is a very powerful name. Your mother has chosen well" Deep tones oozed a charm so potent that there were very few who could refuse it.
Needle-thin pupils glanced at the death mouse, before flitting back to the girl's face. "What has mama told you about me, Ataxia? Do you know what a King is? Tell me, do," The words were half a request, half a command, as his large paws inched towards the girl, seeking to tug her little body closer to his deadly, but in this case docile, jaws. He wondered how many words she knew, or how much puppy-babbling he could decipher, but it was worthwhile spending a little more time in the girl's company. It was important to imprint himself on her now, while she was young and impressionable - That was how it had been with Salvia, and now he commanded the volatile youth like the dangerous weapon she was fast becoming, for surely none was better at mind-games than Sirius Revlis, Thistle King.
It's no problem! I am loving Ataxia and it's nice to work out some of the kinks of taking on a new character. I would have been spree-replying if I hadn't been driving around after I posted last. XD
[html]
Her bright blue eyes would someday shift to a gold color that was common on her mother's side, but they would retain that same spark of interest. Ataxia was young but she was smart. Quick to learn and to remember, though the latter was still restricted by the limits of her age. It was doubtless that she would be of quick wit when she was older. For now, it was mostly just that she had sharp and bright eyes. She responded aptly and was a fast learner. When Eris told her something of great importance, she was unlikely to forget. Other things that were less important would be forgotten, she was only a pup after all. Sirius had been important, though, so what her mother had said about their King was imprinted in her brain quite firmly. In the end she was probably going to be a fantastic mix of Eris and Larkspur: swift to think and respond, but also very instinctive. It was why she sensed and liked the timbre of Sirius's voice, although she hadn't learned yet to be more careful of the darkness within it.
Her small pink tongue darted across her lips briefly and she realized that she had dropped the mouse. Though her lips still tasted it and her nose still smelled it close, it was lying limply on the ground close to her forepaws. It wasn't important, though. The dark D'Angelo was closely locked on what her King was saying. After all, for him to hold reign over her mother, he had to be powerful. Besides, he was her leader, and his presence alone made her want to follow him. Even at such a young age, she felt the urge to impress him. An instinct that drove her to lean down and grab the mouse. With deferentially lowered ears and a softly swaying tail, she moved to present the mouse to him. Lifting it up so that he could take it from her mouth. Either that or she could drop it by his paws. Either way, she offered him tribute. This instinctive respect for the Thistle King was likely inherited from Larkspur; she saw and felt his dominance. She did not contest it as she did her siblings. He was naturally Alpha.
She was proud that he thought her name powerful. Ataxia stood a little bit higher, her chest pushing outward to show her delight at this remark. She had believed that she would be powerful, too. One of her sisters had a name similar to hers, but it was not the same. It had an "s" sound in it, which she sometimes envied. Ataxia was a good name, though, a strong name. If Sirius said it was powerful, she believed it. Someday she would reach great heights and all of Salsola would know her name. Then she herself would have given the name its power.
The question caused her to pause to think. It was hard sometimes to remember the exact details of what she had been told. Sometimes, they were more feelings or expressions of words that explained what she knew. Her sisters would have understood and possibly her parents because they had been around young pups. Wanting to impress Sirius, she tried to draw up as much of the memory as she could. If he was actually moving to draw her in to him with his paws, she would not protest. Her trust in the Boss was absolute at this point. "Powerful, teach, lead Family. Fierce." at that, she bared her little teeth and made a growling noise to show ferocity. Noises to her often accented the words she was speaking. "Mama obey, she big big, King big bigger. Pack obey, naw big big, dey big little." that was how she interpreted position, in terms of small/large. Not in actual physical size but in some sort of something that made them bigger or smaller. Her father was big big, but he was not as big big as her mother. Sirius was even big bigger than that.
The girl was a curious oddity. He could sense the kindred darkness within her, the similar tug of bestial power that simmered so well within both of her parents. It would surely manifest itself as power, when she was older - and power, above all, was what the Revlis man always sought. Ataxia was a member of the first litter of Salsola, and by this interaction she had proven the litter to be worthy. Although he took no pleasure from cruelty, it was often a necessary thing, and had the pups been weak or wrong in the way that animals sometimes were, Sirius would have ordered them culled without a second thought.
It would have given him no heartache, but to face the wrath of Eris, which was not a pleasant idea. Regardless, the girlchild was strong. She would be stronger. The smile remained on the male's crocodile maw.
She offered her mouse to him, and a rumble of laughter swelled in the monarch's throat once more. Surely, the small gift meant very much to her - It was little more than a morsel for the likes of him, more fur and bone than it was meat. But with a calm expression, the King took the little corpse in his maw, and placed it delicately beside his recumbent form. He would accept the gift, for it was important to re-enforce such little deferential things as this - Everything Ataxia owned, or would own, would in turn belong to Sirius if he so desired. Ataxia herself belonged to Sirius, as did her siblings, as did her parents. This was the primal way of things.
His huge paws tugged gently about her form, drawing her closer as the girl began to speak. Her little voice stumbled about words, emphasized by growls and small puppy sounds that he assumed she used in place of words she couldn't remember, or didn't understand. His dark and brooding expression became somewhat delighted as the child snarled. Fierce. The following jumble of words took a little thought to decipher, but Sirius understood, and he nodded solemnly. "Correct. Your mother has taught you well, indeed," His smooth tones were contemplative, and had he been in his two-legged form, the King would have lifted a hand to stroke pensively at the dark beard-tuft on his chin. As it was, he settled with tilting his head slightly, large coyote ears dipped forward. "Your mother is my Auxiliary, dear girl. She is the second biggest, after me, and this makes you - you, and your siblings - royalty. This makes you a Salsolan princess." His smile was full of sharp teeth, but a salmon tongue darted between these yellowed incisors in an aim to lick her pixie face, just once.
Heh thanks, I am really enjoying her too! Much development to be had. *rubs hands together gleefully*
[html]
Power was something that she craved and something that she also innately possessed. There was a difference between the bestial, instinctive dominance of a wolf and the respect that one received. As they had evolved into Luperci, their habits had also begun to change. Instead of walking only on four legs with the primitive weapons of tooth-and-claw, there were now more layers to complicate what they needed to do to compete for position. There were weapons and words to be wielded; these things had to be learned, they were not innate. Where Ataxia already had the darkness and the power within her to be something great, it was up to the paws that molded her - Sirius, Eris, Larkspur, other Family members - to help shape what she would become. There was still much to be decided about her destiny.
She was pleased from the tip of her ears down to the ends of her toes when he took her small gift of a mouse. It was an offering of importance. This was not true because of its value to Sirius - doubtless he had long ago outgrown eating mice - but because of what it meant. The dark D'Angelo pup was showing her respect. It was indeed an important precedent to set, so that as she grew she became accustomed to such things as being natural. Already, there was something bred into her that told her that was the right thing to do. Whether she understood it or not, Sirius was deserving of tribute and ultimately of whatever he set his sights upon. There were some things that might be denied to him - for instance, Eris would not give up her young to Sirius upon request - but these things were few. In some ways, though, they were already owned by the Thistle King, so it didn't much matter if Eris would surrender them to his care specifically. Right now Ataxia was already learning her first lessons at his feet.
Ataxia wagged her tail when Sirius indicated that she had learned well. So far, she had done well in the eyes of her Boss and that made her happy. She had done well and her mother would be proud. The girl listened as he explained what Eris was. Auxiliary. It was a word that she vaguely remembered attached to her parent. Now it attached itself more firmly to what Eris was. Though she liked more to hear that she was a princess. How big did that make her, she wondered? Big big but certainly not big bigger like Sirius. "Princessssss." she curled the word around on her tongue with pleasure, nodding approvingly. Not that it needed her approval since it already had the approval of her uncle. "Someday big big?" she asked, not asking to be "big bigger" like him, but to hold a prestige similar to her mother's.
Blah, I'm SO SORRY it took this long to reply! Been swamped with uni work <3 >> 3+
The power of Sirius Revlis had begun many, many moons ago, with the creation of the virus. He had not been alive, then - A mere speck in the prospective path of the planet and of fate, a sheer possibility in the endless and infinite outcomes that shaped their world. Before that catalyst, his ancestors had been wiry things; Creatures that survived through cunning and trickery, through cleverness, through cowardice. In that time, that primal and now-ancient time, his blood would never have been the blood of a King. Strength was what it had taken to rule the wild beasts, strength and bravery and the death of many fools.
But the virus had changed all that. With intelligence came chance, and suddenly the world was in bloom for his kind - The intellectuals, the dark-bloods, those who fought with their wit and their tongue as much as any physical blow. Sirius had been born into a new world, the world where canines could walk on two legs, and where big strong stupid men knelt on their knees before those who had the sadistic craving and the skillful cunning to seek and grasp power.
The girl, Ataxia, she was a creature born of his world. Sirius appraised her with narrowed pupils inherited from all those dark and wicked creatures that had come before him, and he liked what he saw. Here was a wolfchild, but she had within her the spark - The spark that was within him a flame. It was intelligence, that spark, and it would surely serve her well in this lifetime. With careful grooming, perhaps Ataxia, like Salvia could become a wildfire - unstoppable.
Her little words made him chuckle, a deep sound that vibrated in his chest and oozed deliciously out into the air. "Yes, little one. If you are a good girl, and if you do everything Unca tells you too - everything, little dove - then one day, you too may be 'big-big'." He would have to keep an eye on her. It would be no good if Eris made her soft with her mothering - The black she-wolf was generally good with doing what Sirius asked, but she was certainly protective of her offspring. Yellow teeth glinted at the girl as his black lips curled into a wicked smile. "Why don't you tell me about your siblings, Ataxia? Have you brothers, or sisters?" Was she the strongest of the litter? Once more, his pupils flicked about them as though seeking other little furry bodies, but returned to the girl almost immediately.
No worries! I have actually been busy too and am just playing catchup now. XD
[html]
When the world first began, there were creatures like Sirius. Eye shine reflecting out of the darkness, the quiet pad of paws against the ground. Things that came out of the dark and formed the idea of monsters. Not the kind that slayed in bright daylight, but the fierce predators that were smarter. Their keen intelligence was what made them so dangerous and so feared. It was this power that thrummed through him and it was this that Ataxia recognized instinctively. It was something that she had not yet learned to fear. Perhaps because there was a bit of a monster in her, too, and it ran in her family's bloodline as well. Fixated blue eyes watched him, entranced as a snake's prey by him. Besides, she had not been told to fear him by anyone else either. He was called "uncle" and it was this title that gained him even further trust; without it, she might have worried. With it, she sat there faithfully and she gave him her whole attention, her full loyalty without question.
He meant her no harm at that moment, so her trust was well placed. Though he might have seen her more as a tool to be formed than a being with an array of feelings, she wasn't aware of that. All that she knew was that he fascinated her and that she liked him; Ataxia was filled with contentment to be in his presence. That and a keen eagerness to know more. To understand what he was and how she could become like him. She dared not think of being better than or equal to him - she was young, but edged with a caution or an innate awareness of things that could threaten her livelihood. Acting as more dominant than the leader of Salsola would be unwise. He was big-big, and she was as of yet only a teeny little big. A big because her mother was a big, but not yet big on her own. That she had to earn; she understood.
As her uncle assured her that she could gain what she wanted, she bobbed her head obediently. "Yessssss, obey." she replied loyally. Of course she would do all that Unca Sirius asked; he was her tutor, her Big Big, and the moon to her mother's sun. The counterpoint to her position in the pack. There was a question, then. An important one. The bright-eyed Thistle King wanted to know of her siblings. Immediately, she responded. "Ssssiissssterssss. Artemisssssia, Harrow." she did not mention the lost - though the S sounds in their name had always thrilled her - or her elder siblings. Her thought was only to her immediate litter. She wasn't sure what else he wanted to know of them, so she tilted her head. A silent child's question: what did he wish to know about them?
I am probably ruining your catch-up time by posting so quickly, but I couldn't resist ;P >> 3+
Imparted by the primal ancestors that ran deep within the hot fresh blood of their mortal veins was the knowledge each whelp was born with, be they weak or strong, smart or dull-witted. It was the knowledge of life; Of how to live, within the unspoken but divine rules and codes that crafted them into creatures of habit. She, like all others that wandered his land, recognized Sirius for his dominance - The ancestors whispered about him, deep and wicked and wonderful whisperings of power. His volatile olive eyes gleamed with their imparted wisdom, a wealth of intelligence that some said bordered on madness.
Although his huge paws and wicked claws encircled her delicate fluffy body, there was no urge to harm the girl. She was precious, valuable. She had been born to a Beta female, his Auxiliary, and that made her almost his own flesh and blood. But there was the deep and bestial code within him that stirred always, bubbling that constant suspicion within his subconscious. If she, or if any of them, turned against their King - Family, blood or not - They would face the wrath of the Hunter, and surely be snuffed out like so many candles.
She had the most beautiful eyes. They were blue, such a bright and keen blue, but in certain lights the rims caught and reflect the sunlight in brilliant yellow. The smile that graced his black lips was as genuine as any he had given. It grew to show sharp yellow as she voiced her loyalty - Children were such beautiful, pure things. So quick to accept what their minds could not yet understand, but what their hearts could so readily understand. Little Ataxia, you are mine.
His countenance became comically thoughtful as she spoke of her sisters, exaggerated so that the little girl might continue to be enthralled with him. Salmon tongue clucked pensively on the roof of his mouth, whilst behind such an amused expression, the Thistle King's mind whirred with new information. "Eris has born three girls?" The words were mused aloud, more for his benefit than for that of the girl, who had been temporarily forgotten. Narrowed pupils alighted on her again. "Salsola has three new princess to protect, then. You are our roses, surrounded by thorns," His voice was a croon, and amused by his own wit, the monarch chuckled. It was true that most of the Family was not at all so pure as the three new pups. But to be a thorn was to be hardy, resilient, and not at all an insult in the mind of the King.
"Tell me, little dove," One large paw moved to toy absently with the tuft of her tail, if the child did not move away from his strange embrace, "Are you the biggest of your sisters?" He tried to use 'big' in the way that she did, to infer superiority. There was always a dominant pup in each litter, and Sirius wondered if it was Ataxia.
YOU MESS EVERYTHING UP! J/k... I had to leave my catch up time to do other things anyway. Who knew wedding planning was so time consuming!? Not me. D:
[html]
[/html]Humans had moved away from their instinctive drives and it was probably this that had led to their demise. It was probably why werewolves were in charge now. Despite some of their adaptations and evolutions - they had been mere wolves before but were Luperci now - they were more feral than the former top dog. There were ways in which they were slowly progressing toward the same level of "civilization" as humans, but it could never be like that for werewolves. Unless their teeth and claws blunted, their noses lost their sense of smell and they started to lose their fur. There would always be something of the monster in the darkness about them, the feral. If they lost that, they would perish as surely as the humans had before them.
Ataxia appreciated physical touch; it was an important part of pack bonding and of the established dominance/submission. It was for this reason that she was entirely comfortable with his strength so close to her. There was always the possibility that he could harm her, but she was not one to live in fear. There was caution and then there was paranoia; Sirius had not shown her any ill intent and he was a Big Big, that meant that she had to trust him. If she couldn't trust her own Boss, after all, then she couldn't trust anyone at all. It was like Bastion, too, though: Eris trusted Sirius, so Ataxia did. Because her mother was wise and would have told her if she was to fear or be cautious of her uncle. Even then, his power was as intoxicating as it was dangerous and he probably would have drawn her in anyway.
Daughters, sisters, princesses. Harrow and Artemisia were her competition as much as they were her best friends. It was the curse of being sisters: there would always be that competition, beneath all of their love and affection for one another. Besides, she was a vivacious little cub and she was not always kind about it. Ataxia was not one to sit at the bottom of the pile, she would always scramble to the top. Dominance beat in her blood as it did in Sirius's, though it was more subdued and perhaps it would never reach the same height. Time would tell and as she had already established her deference to the Thistle King, it seemed doubtful she would challenge his authority ever. Then again, there were many months between her current age and adulthood. Many things could change over the course of that time.
As he messed with her tail, she did not move, listening attentively for his question. At his question, she laughed and bared her sharp white teeth in a feral grin. "I da big biggiest." understanding that he meant dominance and not size; she was small beside her sisters in stature, but was the Big Big when it came to her own perception of those words.
she is ADORABLE. sorry about slow reply, btw D: >> 3+
She would be beautiful when she was older. Sirius didn't doubt it. The girl had beautiful genetics - Larkspur and Eris were an attractive pair, in both size and physical appearance. Knowing that this newest generation of Salsolans would carry such handsome traits pleased the ruler almost as much as if they had held his own devilish genes. The wicked monarch had a weakness for beauty, and it was becoming increasingly infamous; He would have to be careful to monitor his own obsessions carefully, lest they become a true weakness.
For now, he was content to merely observe the gold rims of her puppy-blue eyes, and the light flecks of silver that gilded the fluffy ebony furrball of her small, rotund frame. Her reply, too, served to be greatly bemusing; Black lips peeling back to reveal sharp yellow daggers in a grin, pink tongue lolling from between such deadly jaws to affectionately bless the tiny head of the little girl, if she remained still. "Of course, I should have guessed," Came the succulent purr, a deep and pleasant growl that thrummed within his throat in an almost felinesque manner. Narrowed pupils gazed down at her still. "You are indeed big biggest, little princess. No matter where you go, or to whom you are speaking, remember that. In my kingdom, you are royalty." To some, pride was a weakness, but to Sirius is was a form of rank well earned. Only the foolish allowed their pride to best them. The Revlis man controlled his well enough, just as he controlled almost all things that happened within the thistle-lined borders. He was, after all, the master puppeteer of this land, and the Family that he had claimed as his own.
With a shake of his shaggy head, the lanky male rose slowly to all four large feet, his weight flattening the pads slightly so that long claws nipped at the surface of the ground. Even in lupus form, he was a tall, if not lanky beast, and he towered over the girl. "Well, daughter of Eris," Bobtail wagged once, but his large coyote ears were held tall, commanding attention, "Tell your mother that I stopped by. I shall come back again to play with you and your sisters soon," It was important that he remained a constant point in their lives - It would be difficult to manipulate their older forms if he did not form strong connections with the litter now.
