Word Count :: 356 I wrote a crappy post but I'm excited for this D

Wandering around the borders had become Skoll Haskel’s favorite activity, even he wasn’t really supposed to be out here. While he had friends and family within the pack lands, he had come across two very interesting strangers just outside the borders and didn’t yet see the harm in checking it out. He certainly didn’t know the risks of meeting less than friendly outsiders, even though his caretakers had been less than pleased to hear that he’d gone out on his own. But the prince still thought that he was a big boy who could do what he wanted—after all, he was a quarter of a year old now! That was halfway to halfway to being a whole year old—which didn’t seem like a lot, but he felt older and bigger and stronger every day.

The boy headed toward the woods again, hoping to look for goodies underneath the snow and leaves, like maybe a mouse skeleton or an actual mouse hiding from the elements. As he pranced toward the border, sure enough, he could smell an outsider, and his tail began wagging and his breaths came fast with excitement. Another new friend!

Skoll bundled through the snowy grass to the forest’s edge, imagining that his strides were long and powerful like a wolf’s, though he was still puppy-clumsy. His tail continued to sway straight out behind him before curling over his back when he noticed the stranger.

His green eyes widened then—because this was another puppy!

His pale chest swelled as he realized that, not only was it a little girl puppy, it was one apparently smaller than him too. She had chocolaty fur with funny rings and some doggish features like him. Used to seeing wolfdogs around Cour des Miracles as he was, he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

“You!” Skoll yapped to get her attention, and he let out a little high howl for show as he ran across the last few yards toward her. “Who’re you?” He paused and glanced at her toy—a sad-looking thing, though in better shape than most stuffed animals he got hold of.

Word Count :: 314 Sophie is cuuuute! <3 And Skoll thinks he's all that. xD

The slightly younger cub was startled by his call, though his intent hadn’t been to bully or intimidate her. However, he noted her tucked tail and downcast eyes and his blood sang to him of submission. It pleased the wolf in the golden boy, one who’d jostled for dominance among his siblings and everyone else who he could test himself against. It wasn’t meanness or arrogance that caused such feelings to spark in him so much as a deep instinct. Despite the luperci ways of the land and the monarchy that Cour des Miracles adhered to, Skoll often thought in terms of alpha and omega, prince and pauper.

And so, as an heir, as half a wolf standing on his own territory, the young Haskel lifted his head a little more and curled his tail over his back. He made no aggressive moves at her but only looked at her. Her nose was kind of cute and reminded him of Lottie’s pinkish one, and she also had a strange marking on her face under her blue eyes.

“Hi Sophie’n’Bug,” the boy said, his voice a little softer than it had been. Kings had to be kind and polite, too, after all. He squinted at Bug a moment more before she returned the question, and once again his chest puffed proudly and he showed a hint of tooth in a grin.

“I Skoll Haskel! I son of King Vigilante!” His voice had risen again, though he tried to tone it down when he realized he was almost yelling. He looked over his shoulder for a moment. “This pack’s Cour des Miracles. What your pack?” His green eyes fell upon her again, curious; she smelled of a few other wolves, though he wasn’t able to tell the difference between heavy pack smell and simple family smell. All Skoll knew was that all canines ran with packs.

Word Count :: 473 MUCH PUPPY RAMBLING.

This scene would undoubtedly be hysterical to any passerby who happened upon the two cubs. The tentative, shy motions of the ringed tawny girl as she sidled toward her ragdoll toy as well as the erect ears and tail of the bigger yellow boy were so simple and amusing to adults. However, to Skoll Haskel, this situation was a very real one that he was in charge in as a prince and a loyal member of Cour des Miracles. He saw it less like a game and more of a challenge: one that he needed to overcome to further prove himself to his father. His desire to please Vigilante kept him on good behavior while his instincts strengthened his dominant posture. He was like any other patrolling the border and coming across an outsider.

The blue-eyed girl was confused by the terms he threw out, and Skoll—used to everyone acknowledging his prince-hood and knowing immediately of his pack—wrinkled his forehead at her in disbelief. So maybe she didn’t know the name of the pack he ran with—but she didn’t know what a pack was? Surely she was just joking with him!

“King is leader—like—alpha—or—” Skoll didn’t really know any other terms for a leader, having no idea as to the ranks of other packs. He cocked his head and plopped his butt on the snowy grass as he gave his explanation thought. “Leader leads an’ take care of th’pack,” he went on with an outstretched paw to clumsily gesticulate and a sagely nod. “He good an’ wise an’ brave an’ strong.” His green eyes brightened with something akin to worship.

“An’ a pack—” Well, that term was a bit harder to describe; it sang more in his blood and canine heritage than anything else. Squinting, he tried his best to explain. “Pack like—big family.” He nodded and grinned. “Big family, take care each other an’ hunt together an’ fight together, all together. Pack has lossa wolfs and dogs.” He wagged his tail with internal pride that he happened to be both; and this girl seemed to be both, too, if her half-flopped ears and curly tail were any indication. His eyes squinted in a happy manner, nothing but friendly. “Cour des Miracles my pack, an’ King Vigilante—my daddy—the leader.”

As the chocolate-colored girl pondered his question, offering an answer before lowering her eyes shyly, Skoll Haskel nodded—though he frowned now, troubled. Why wouldn’t she have a pack? Wasn’t it better for her to be together and protected? He was only reassured somewhat by the fact that she had brothers, and he wagged his tail slightly to encourage her.

“I gotta broder an’ a sister,” the blonde boy said. “You gotta mom and daddy?” It was strange she hadn’t mentioned them, either.

Word Count :: 362 bad post this time D:

The girl mentioned her own father, and Skoll tilted his head skeptically. Only his father was kingly material in his mind, and it was weird to have someone else’s father compared to that. Vigilante was flawless in his eyes, though admittedly he hadn’t spent enough time around him to know all that for sure. However, this outsider didn’t know his daddy, and so he decided with a soft sigh that he might as well hear her out.

His green eyes widened when she “rawred” at him and insinuated that a leader was scary. “Not my daddy!” Skoll burst out. “My leader nice an’ big an’ strong an’ good an’ not scary.” He shook his head and narrowed his eyes slightly, though his posture remained lazy. “Maybe some leader scary, but they bad guys.” Like the leader in AniWaya that had caused trouble.

The girl’s giggling and realization that she was in Hughes pack made him grin. He hadn’t heard of that pack, but there were plenty in Nova Scotia. Brightened by her change in attitude, even if she remained submissive, he rose slowly and wagged his tail encouragingly.

The girl shook her head at his question, explaining that her mother had made her previously introduced toy. Her story about her father being chased off by her other brother because he always got man, and Skoll squinted. Maybe that father had been like the bad leader in AniWaya? Kings chased out bad leaders and made the world safe for their packs and families. Pleased with the conclusion he’d made, he nodded to show he accepted her story. “That good, no more bad faffer. A good un like my daddy not get mad.”

Her question about her brother Leon being a king made Skoll frown again, but her explanation made sense. “Sounds like a king to me,” the boy said, nodding and padding up closer to her. “King of Hughes, not Cour des Miracles,” he added somberly before lightening up. He dipped quickly into a play-bow, wiggling his tail and abandoning most of the serious haughtiness. He let himself be equal to this girl, laughing and yipping at her to invite her to play.

Word Count :: 246

The ring-furred girl was strange, that was for sure. Skoll didn’t know if all outsider children were weird or if it was just this one, but Sophie didn’t seem to know a whole lot about pack life. Had he been older, he might have understood that different environments shaped different canines, but all he really had to compare her to were his siblings in Cour des Miracles. He’d only been alive for a quarter of a year, and his world was still small.

His nose wrinkled when he realized that she didn’t really even know how to play right, but he hadn’t given up on her this far, and so he only wagged his tail harder and grinned encouragingly. She finally stretched out, wiggling and barking, which was an invitation to keep playing as far as he was concerned. He fell into a crouch, delaying his pouncing as he realized that she was pathetically small. He knew better than to hurt her.

The blonde boy settled on creeping forward, placing one paw down at a time with a little growl that was too silly to be considered scary. He reached out and batted at her folded-over ear before rolling over, as if he’d suddenly lost balance. In a more vulnerable position, he sprawled close to her and aimed little playful nips at her forepaws. It wasn’t the most exciting play session he’d ever had, but maybe he could draw her out of her shell a bit.

SSWM Word Count :: 384

His gentle tactics seemed to work, as her small sharp puppy teeth grazed his paw lightly in retaliation. Her muzzle would lunge forward, deflecting his parted jaws, and the boy would let out another growl, shaking his head and rolling from side to side. His tail still wagged behind him, glad to see that she was enjoying this even if it wasn’t a rough wrestling session like he was used to with his siblings. It was awkward being around someone so small even though he wasn’t much older than her; perhaps it was because of his royal blood that he was large? Being raised in a strong pack also played a role, but his young mind didn’t quite make the connection that she’d be malnourished. There was no malnourishment in the Court, with food stored when it wasn’t actively being hunted.

Her chocolate body leaped forward, and for an instant Skoll was afraid she’d land on his stomach and knock all the breath out of him. Tiny or not, that wouldn’t feel very good, and he tensed reflexively, hind paws rising to shield his abdomen. Instead, however, she fell against his neck, and he yelped, tilting his chin down against her small frame. He began to roll over to dislodge her, but she’d already barked and toddled away.

Her yapped challenge and inviting play-bow made Skoll grin impishly, though he remembered how fast he could be and how he’d have to correct his speed in order to make the games last longer. He would chase his sister a lot, and she was always upset and put off when he caught her so easily, so he’d had the foresight to “pull his punches,” so to speak. It was a concept that few children thought of, but the son of the King was advanced in that regard.

Skoll responded to her challenge with an eloquent “grrrrr” then scampered toward her, putting a cap on his gait so she’d be able to outpace him for a while. Every once in a while he’d twist around and try to nip at her ankles or cut in front of her to force her to change direction, but he was as careful as he could be, and he let her feel like she was winning the game for a while.

SSWM Word Count :: 321

The golden-furred pup stomped after the tiny girl, his growls varying in pitch and volume as his body stopped and started. Herding her was fun, and he watched her turn on a dime, pausing sometimes to grin almost bemusedly, as if he couldn’t figure out why this little creature was so high energy. His half-curled tail wagged happily behind him, and most of his concern over this ignorant young stranger by his borders vanished with the routines of play.

Sun prince chased striped pauper, and after the boy had placed himself in her line of escape, Sophie flew unexpectedly at her doll. She scrambled underneath the ugly worn thing, her minute body vanishing quickly enough for Skoll to gape in confusion for a stupid moment.

Her giggles emerged muffled from underneath the potato sack toy, followed by taunts that made the young Haskel smirk. He pranced toward her, sniffing around Bug as if trying to find the best way to get to the girl. “Guess not,” he said after a moment, but then, thinking himself amazingly clever, he grabbed one of Bug’s arms in his jaws and sent the toy flying off…

Or he had intended. He tugged, but the sand-filled doll barely even budged, and Skoll was embarrassed by his failure. His brows knitting together, he grasped the doll once again and pulled, growling, giving little jerks of his head, as if he was one of his feral ancestors fighting to tear flesh from prey. He set his paws in the ground and, inch by inch, managed to pull the toy away.

By that point, however, his jaws ached slightly, and he didn’t think he could grab Sophie like he had wanted to. With a glance toward her and a shy shrug, Skoll admitted, “Good hidin’ spot. Bug heavy.”

And then he bounced at her again, laughing, trying to bowl her over gently and pin her with his pale paws.

SSWM Word Count :: 246

Moving his jaw, Skoll wondered just what Bug was filled with. He had expected for the ragdoll to give way easily, and while it probably wasn’t that happy in truth, he’d been surprised by the weight of the puppy-sized thing. He smirked as she explained that the toy was her protector; maybe it couldn’t fight off monsters, but it was a good shield against cocky puppies. When an unfamiliar name was mentioned, however, the creamy-colored child nearly stopped himself from jumping on her—but momentum was what it was, and he landed on her gently, knocking her away from the doll that she had been securely snuggled against.

Her protests brought an arrogant grin to his yet-young face, and he tilted his head at her as if he were so much older than he was and she was just being a silly kid. That brief but annoying look was dropped as he shrugged, dipping his head to give her a gentle nudge and withdrawing his big paws from her tiny form.

“All fair in shovin’ war,” the golden prince informed her dismissively. Just as soon as the butchered proverb fell from his lips, however, he fixed his bright green eyes on her blue ones and asked the question that had popped up in his head earlier. “Who’s Boof? Is he bad guy like your faffer?” He didn’t know why else she would need protection, despite the conclusions that he had come to about Bug’s worth earlier.

SSWM Word Count :: 311 Sorry for the crap post, running out of ideas. xD Unless you think of something cool we can wrap this up if you'd like. ^^

Blue eyes widened after their spark of protest, and her head shook so fervently that he took a step away in case she would demonstrate her conviction by hitting him next. She explained that “Boof” was her brother, and the golden pup relaxed slightly. He couldn’t fathom siblings hurting each other on purpose; it was hard enough to imagine her father being a big bad guy, but littermates were supposed to help each other. They squabbled a lot—that was as natural as the cycle of sun and moon—but siblings were there as confidants and audiences and playmates and everything else a puppy could possibly want. His protectiveness toward Lottie and Hati burned fiercely in his small pale breast.

Skoll nodded slightly. He understood picking on siblings because he often picked on his own, being the dominant puppy in the litter. But Hati liked him even if his ears and tail were used as chew toys sometimes, and Charlotte was the precious only female of the litter that the princes had to take care of.

When Sophie added that Boothe was the best brother ever, the blonde boy frowned and tilted his head, considering the high honor. Did his brother and sister think he was the best brother ever? He tried to be someone they could look up to—which was hard, since he was only a child who looked up to everyone else in turn. The thoughts made his head ache, and so he lifted a paw to awkwardly rub it.

“Where Boof?” the young Haskel asked after a moment. He supposed that it wasn’t too weird for the siblings to be separated—after all, his littermates were probably safe and sound back home—but he didn’t know how big the Hughes pack was or if there were lots of wolves to look after them and keep them safe.

SSWM Word Count :: 193 Woo closing this out and I'll ask for it to be archived. :3 This was fun!

The cream-and-black-striped girl explained that her brother was at home, but her voice had dropped into a mumble as if bothered by something. Skoll cocked his head until she mentioned having to back and make sure her brother didn’t get in trouble for covering for her, and quickly the golden boy grinned and nodded. He kept secrets for his siblings sometimes, though normally it was the other way around; Hati and Lottie didn’t wander as much as he did, or at least not to his knowledge. In all likelihood they probably were off on little adventures of their own; it made sense if the trio was scattered for the adults not to be able to watch them every second of the day like they might want to.

Sophie flashed him a smile then grabbed her sand-filled doll’s foot. She promised to come see him again then tugged the toy after her. Her ability to move the heavy thing caused sparks of admiration to light up Skoll’s green eyes.

“Bye-bye, Sophie!” the prince called after her from his side of the borders, his creamy-yellow tail waving curled over his back. “Can’t wait next time!”