Our Ancestors Knew Best [DND]
#1
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OOC: Small preplanned group thread. X'yrin will post first assuming Wayne, Dixie, Adelle and Fritz have arrived and then it will be a free order for the rest of the thread Smile There is a lupus ref on Jazzy's profile if you need a reference!

Word Count: 400+


The pack meeting had gone well, many of the members had greeting their autumn hued guest happily and with ease. It was nice to know Casa’s family could continue to be themselves even in the presence of a stranger, particularly another leader. It was a goal for Jazper to unit his pack. In Crimson Dreams he had known many members and considered them to be his family, regardless of the lack of blood connections. A pack should protect each other, love each other and support each other in hard times. If a pack was made up of individuals instead of relationships there was simply no stronghold, no loyalty to the others, and members would not feel at home here. The snow on the ground would melt soon and with the winter gone the Fort would be transformed into a green safe haven with wild flowers, songbirds and butterflies. With that transformation Jazper hoped the members would start to socialize more.


It was with these thoughts that he approached X’yrin about an experiment. In one of their first meetings he recalled her telling him that she was a nomad and that while traveling they would rarely speak. Having come from two non-luperci parents the Sole had spent much of his first five months of life using body language and simple feral commands to communicate with his parents. However, he came to realize in the luperci dominant world this was an art almost lost.


The sun was high in the sky, warming the land and reflecting off the thin layer of snow, which mostly remained untouched. The pair stood just inside the Fort gates when Jazper realized the call, bidding only a few to join them. While they waiting the Knight silently morphed down onto four legs. The shift took him longer than usual as he had only ever shifted down to lupus once since his first shift, much preferring to seuci form. In his smallest form he was still quite large, standing at just slightly more than 3 and a half feet. His mass and strength was still obvious to any who would look upon him but his fur was sleeker along his back and neck and his head slightly smaller. However, the slimmer head and less extreme body added a softness to Jazper, emphasizing his naturally handsome appearance. He was not a fan on this form in the slightest as it made him feel weak and small, being a full foot smaller than his Halfling. But for today he would have to get over it.


Finally a few members began to arrive and Jazper smiled trying to ignore any odd looks, If everyone could shift down to lupus form, X’yrin will explain.





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#2
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If only she could be embraced by her own pack like this, the female felt she would feel less of the burden of leadership. But it was a fanciful thought, one she kept to herself as she watched with envy the quick gathering of kindred souls to their leader’s call.

When approached by this experiment, the Shepard was more than willing to comply with her friend. She was glad for the chance to return to her most basic of forms even though it was far from her preferred. Yet her body was used to the change and in a seamless transition she had lost the height and bulk of her Optime form and stood upon four equally fine limbs in the body of her ancestors. Her body was much lighter than she was used to, and a striking contrast to the height of both her Secui and Optime forms. The lesser of the three was considered the ‘punishment’ or ‘weak’ form to the Nomads, only ever taken to show they were under reprimand by their family head. But standing in this form, she did not feel as weak as the form would have perceived. She was brimmed with more energy and the slimmer body allotted for more dexterous movements. Freer…yes, that was how she felt.

Before she had taken this form she had prepared herself for the engagement, weaving her mane into a series of long braids fashioned with various owl and eagle feathers accented with glass beads. But even with that attempt at taming, her mane was still wild and the rough bangs still hung in front of her face. She had managed to fashion the bulk of the auburn mass with several slender sticks as well, piling the braids at the back of the neck in the hopes they would keep up and out of the way. It was a disaster that any wise eye could see would eventually happen, but she carried on in blissful ignorance, ready to start this little experiment of theirs.

“Goodday everyone,” the lady Shepard greeted with a smile. Even as she dipped her head in a more formal greeting the pile gave way and the braids came spilling down. So much for that attempt… “I would like to thank you for coming to join or little game,” she continued without missing a beat. “And I assure you, it will be worth it. Let me begin first by explaining; where I came from, we act as our instinct compels us to and take great pride in it. It is our belief that our true strength and reasoning comes from what our bodies know what to do and how to act. It seems a little strange, yes… but it is quite effective when you learn to trust your instinct-“ her eyes then wandered to Wayne and she smiled knowingly. “-and follow its instruction. Think of this as a kind of training to awaken that dormant part of yourselves and be reacquainted with it. Even if it is through play. The purpose of this exercise is to let your instinct speak and act for you… to speak without actually speaking and convey your intentions through sound and body. To recognize everything from the most exaggerated, to the most subtle gestures and act accordingly.

“But… for those that are not used to this or are a little out of practice…” For some strange reason her gaze then turned to Jazper for a fleeting moment. “I will ‘mirror’ you, and help your inner voice speak for you. As we start you will see what I mean. So!” she yipped happily, rearing back on her hind legs and fanning her tail encouragingly. “If you will all take your forms… we can begin. Do not hesitate to lose yourself. You needn’t think but act. Flow as your inner voice dictates and learn to trust it…”

ooc: 646 words.

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#3
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OOC stuff goes here Big Grin

****

Hearing the alpha call had Adelle racing out, dropping what she was doing. She had a mentor now, after all, and was practically an adult. Proudly she bounced out, releasing a short howl of her own. It was deep, but not as deep as it would get when she was a full adult, grown into her body. Reaching where he stood Adelle wagged her tail, happy to see him. Others gathered around as well. Her mentor was there, and Adelle bounded over to him happily, pleased to see him.


Briefly Jazper addressed everyone, asking them to change into lupine form. Adelle watched as the alpha shrunk down, surprising Adelle with his slimmer appearance. He looked a lot more like her now. In fact, everyone looked a lot more like her in her lupus form, even the stranger. She listened with interest as she spoke, but Adelle's broken english didn't allow her to pick out much beyond training and play. Her tail wagged, bowing down as she realized it was a game. Immediately she launched herself to tackle Jazper, ready to take him down.

****

+000

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#4
Fritz was in his room, fixing his pants, when his alpha called for a few members to come and join him. He figured that he would get to know his fellow pack mates, even if it was only a small number of them. It was better to start small with meeting them than being overwhelmed and not meeting anyone. So he got up and decided to not wear his pants since he only had two, one of which was in need of repair and the other needed to be washed.

So he strode to where there were several others that waited for instructions on what was going on. He noticed that Jazper was in lupus form and wondered about that. But he figured it would soon all be explained. He was right and when the Sole asked for everyone to shift into lupus form, Fritz did so. It didn’t take him too much time since he did use it occasionally. It wasn’t his favorite form but he knew it had its uses.

His attention was given to the female near him that was apparently a visitor from another pack. She spoke of how her home emphasized instinct and that they were to only use body language and feral vocalizations. He thought that it was a grand idea and he reared up to his rather massive length and gave what was for him a rather quiet bark, but his bark was still rather loud. When his front paws hit the ground, his tail started going and he crouched on the ground to play with someone who didn’t mind his massive size.
#5
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she's trying to play with Fritz Tongue / +3!


Dixie had been brushing Duke’s dusty backside when the call to join her alpha reached her ears. Smiling a bit, she gave the horse’s nose a little kiss and then scampered off to find the others. She hadn’t heard about anything going on lately, so a meeting was a surprise, a very welcome surprise. Dixie just loved being able to see all of her pack mates, especially the ones that she didn’t know so well. That was something than she wanted to change, but was often too busy to get around to doing.

There were only a few others gathered around Jazper and X’yri, again making the small woman curious. Her head tilted to the side as the two regal creatures began to speak, the woman’s explanation bringing an excited grin to her face. Dropping to her knees, Dixie allowed her body to slowly shift into her lupus form…and she was now easily the smallest canine in the pack, besides Adelle, who was growing fast and would soon pass up the white woman.

When the fluffy grey puppy rushed at Jazper, Dixie yipped happily and turned to look up at the massive great dane that she hadn’t been able to meet yet. The girl’s ears dropped low and she crouched a little, moving closer to him slowly. He was even bigger than their Sole, which freaked her out a little bit. Another few steps and she was standing between his front legs, staring up at his face with friendly eyes. Still a bit nervous, but confident that he would not hurt her, she whined happily and poked his nose with her own before leaping over his leg and running away.

Tag was one of her favorite games, and while she knew that the huge male would be able to catch her with ease, it was still fun. The light sprinkling of snow on the ground blended with her fluffy coat as she bounced around, yipping and barking in a way that wasn’t natural to wolves, but came from her dog blood.

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#6
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hurrdurr +3


Wayne was beginning to get used to hearing the alpha male’s voice echo throughout the pack territory. This time there was less importance in the note, but that didn’t mean the cowboy wouldn’t stop what he was doing to go investigate. In fact, the dusty-furred male had been looking for his new apprentice and was already on all fours, his big dark nose pressed close to the earth as he chased after her scent. She seemed to be heading in the direction of the howl, too, and so he gave up his search to simply lope in that direction—to see others gathered already too.

He came up beside Dixie, leaning against her leg with a wag of his tail, and listened as X’yrin described their ancestors. Her pointed glance in his direction had him chuckling, and he noted with some surprise that the Sole was in a sleeker but no less formidable lupus form as well. The dark wolf looked handsome and happy, and it was a heartening sight to see the others with good attitudes as well. He watched as they fell onto four paws as their ancestors ran, and almost immediately the gathering turned into chaos as canines began leaping at each other without any dignity.

The Labrador mongrel grinned and took a few steps backwards, his eyes fondly watching Dixie as she bravely approached the giant Great Dane, who was taller even than many luperci in their halfling shapes. He watched Adelle confront Jazper as well, leaving him looking across at the golden she-wolf he’d been training with. He let out a low “woof” in her direction, walking over at a leisurely trot then throwing his weight into her shoulder sloppily, more like he’d fallen instead of attempted to tackle her. Already his tongue smacked her on the muzzle before he grinned and managed to become distracted by Dixie’s Samoyed form again.

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#7
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OOC: Remember that this a a free-for-all thread. No need to wait for everyone to reply before you post again Big Grin

Word Count: 400+



It was natural for Jazper to hand the reins over to the golden fae. She reminded him of his co-leader so much and yet deep down his heart tingled for the warrioress beside him. He was aware that she had a mate, a fighter in his own right, but his subconscious dear not let go of the gushy feeling he felt every time they touched. I was a feeling that had lingered since they shared a fire lit dance at the Festival. However, he dare not revile to his pack mates that he had a puppy dog crush on another leader, especially a taken one.


Instead he listened to the alphess, but his eyes wandered over his members, especially happy to see Wayne and little Adelle at the meeting. Fritz’s large presence was not missed and the Sole was glade to see the giant taking an interest in getting to know his pack mates. It was the small white girl’s presence that caused the Knight’s bushy tail to twitch happily. Dixie always brought happiness and positive energy into his life and it was a wonder that Wayne didn’t walk around with a stupid grin on his face from hanging out with the little lady all the time.


Golden eyes did a double take when X’yrin’s matching embers glanced at him. The Alpha immediately took it as a challenge. Although he had been living as a luperci for more years then most, if not all, present he refused to believe that he held less instinctive behavior than those born luperci. He had been born to a pack of four leggeds, had ran beside his dear old father in the mountains, surely those who grew up in houses were less instinctive than he. But a sudden tackle of little Adelle interrupted his egotistical thoughts. Taking a step back in shock the large male took in the scene as his members, once reserved and listening, started o bark and yip, running around.


A playful growl rumbled in the Knights chest as he lowered his muzzle down to the pups head, rear sticking up in the air and wiggling playfully. With little agility he began to hop left and right, allowing the growl to ruble in his chest. Wanting to move the group out of the Fort, and noting Dixie’s tiny figure running around happily, Jazper nudged the pup, circling around her and motioning for her to follow him. At a moderate trot, so Adelle would keep up, he made his way around the group releasing a rallying howl into the air as he made his was out of the Fort gates and into the thick of the woods surrounding it. Out here they could run without the limitations of a human building.


The howl continued, with the leader allowing himself to sing again once his note had faded and the breath from his lungs used up. The song floated through the territory calling for his pack to sing with him and let any around Casa know that they were strong in numbers and in spirits. With his muzzle raising in the air, baritone notes resonating against his sharp teeth, Jazper trotted around trees merrily, happy to enjoy this time with the few members who had joined him.







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#8
Her tackle was partly successful, surprising Jazper and driving him slightly back. A playful growl escaped from him, and immediately she dipped down, mimicking his play bow. She hopped excitedly from place to place, trying to figure out the best way to take him down. Targeting someone so much larger than her was hard. It would have been easier if she'd taken on the white lady that seemed like her. She was a warrior though, and her pride shone in her eyes.

The alpha circled around her, leaving Adelle chasing her tail before he nudged her. Immediately she leaped after him, following him out of the fort. As he howled Adelle lifted her head, joining his voice with her small one. It was shorter than his, an attribute to her dog heritage, but had a strong depth to it that would ring proudly with the pack, if still too young for it's full potential. Reaching the trees Adelle darted free, weaving among them happily, occasionally darting back to nip at the heels of the members before diving off again, enjoying the run with her pack.
#9
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The reactions of the pack as a whole were unexpected to say the least. For one reason or another, she expected them to think this idea was silly or be too proud in their ways to even consider condoning this behavior. But the outcome was far different than that. They looked... happy to participate. It was a bitter sweet feeling that consumed her quietly as she continued to watch the playful seen unfold.

The Nomad remained still witnessing as the others took their forms and proceeded their little games. Favoritism was exhibited by Wayne for the equally yellow tinged female just as the small pup went directly for the front of the Cavalieri Sole. Seated, she watched their interactions with a calm, auburn concealed gaze til a flash of obsidian hue drew her sights toward the neighboring forests. As Jazper led this band away from the human structures she followed with little protest wanting to be out of the shadows of these remnants as soon as possible.

Despite the excitement exhibited by the luperci in company she continued to stroll at a leisurely pace even after the imposing black of Jazper’s hide had disappeared among the trees. The role she had placed herself in did not require such an in-depth emersion into the experience. It was more for the others anyway than for her. If anything, she would keep an eye on them and make sure none were tempted to make a slip of her tongue or give her aid as a ‘mirror’ if one came across any difficulties. Thinking like this, she wondered just how far the Sole intended to take this experiment. Was this to just let them play or to experience the whole hierarchal range as instinct demanded of them? What did he hope to achieve from this?

X’yrin continued quietly along with a slight bound to her step until she found a lightly mossed tree to settle against. Contently she sat at its base and continued to play the spectator and if need be, the mediator.

ooc: 340 words.

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#10
As soon as Jazper and the other leader said that they could start, chaos ensued. Fritz looked and grinned as Adelle launched herself at their leader. His tail wagged eagerly as he waited for someone to come play with him. Adelle was so cute and he knew that she was going to be a great hunter and warrior, or at least an enthusiastic one.

A female wolfdog that was way smaller than he was, not that that was difficult, came up and stood between his feet. Her eyes were friendly and he gave her a doggy grin. She nudged his nose with her own and Fritz gave it a big, wet lick. And she flitted away from him, seemingly asking him to chase her.

He gave an excited and eager bark that was rather loud. And he went chasing after her. He had waited a bit so that the fun wasn’t all gone by him easily catching up to her. So she had a little bit of a lead. His tail was wagging like crazy as he bounded after her. He then jumped at her, hoping that he could tackle her. He would probably gnaw gently on her ears, with him turning into a massive pup.


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