Her body was no longer sore, thankfully. She wasn't dead tired either, finally caught up from the frenzy that had seized her from entering into heat. Thankfully it didn't come around very often, or at least it didn't seem like it. She had spent the time after the cycle ended lounging around in the pack, doing nothing more complex than getting something to eat. Kit's scent ran deeply through her fur, something she didn't find herself minding, just another scent that belonged to her beside the pack's.
Daintily she pranced over to the Haskel household, tail swaying behind her. She had picked to come in her secui form, hating the fact that she was now smaller than Skoll. It didn't do much for the height problem, but it made Terra feel better about it at least. Not bothering to announce herself Terra wandered in, looking for someone to chat with. The house had become part of her range, belonging with the family, even if her scent was more sporadic due to her travels.
It was a warm, lazy day, the still air perfumed with the changing seasons -- spring rains fading into summer heat. Hati was curled comfortably in the corner of the common room, resting a heavy book on his knees, every so often delicately turning the page. Father had taken Lottie along his patrol again, and Skoll was off who knows where doing who knows what. Probably riding his beautiful horse, or exploring the land beyond the Court, or any number of things that Hati could not do. Instead, the midnight-furred wolfdog had opted to remain indoors on the sunny day, perusing a dusty old reference book he had found pushed to the back of the shelf. He had always prided himself on being good at reading, at least, but this tome was filled with technical jargon and he could not understand most of it. It was some sort of encyclopedia, and he was mostly looking at the little ink illustrations, trying to glean what some of the big words meant. The humans had a much wider vocabulary than the Luperci, who discarded advanced technology to focus on survival. It was still interesting to see the knowledge the extinct society had gathered, even if it went over Hati's head.
He traced his claw along the shape of a sailboat diagram, recognizing the vessels from the old port in Lunenburg. At least that was one technology they could share -- wind power. The sound of the front door swinging open made Hati's ears perk up, trying to guess who it was by the sound of their footsteps. Whoever it was walked on four paws, so it couldn't be Mother -- but the light, prancing gait could certainly not be Father. "Lottie?" he guessed aloud, setting the ancient book down on the floor beside him. Maybe his sister would be interested in the encyclopedia too, though probably not for long.
Word Count → 000 :: I just realized I don't remember what this thread's about XD
Her ears pricked up as Hati's voice rang through the house. Lottie. She knew that pup. A very polite girl who was too nosy for her own good. Terra had felt awful about being found covered in blood and unable to walk by her. At least Hati and Skoll hadn't been there. A single burrowing into the blankets had been enough to get her to leave her alone for a little while. Pausing Terra let her bones lengthen and rotate for the two legged form the household used. Her mane lengthened, first looking like a thick mass of fur before finally tumbling down her back. Paws stretched, letting fingers form before she pushed herself up, standing.
Tail swaying she walked forwards, peeking around the corner. There was Hati, curled up comfortably in a corner of the room, a giant book by his feet. Hello! Terra glanced at it with some curiosity, inhaling the dusty scent. That must have been very old by the smell, causing the coyote to sneeze. Shaking herself she moved further in and settled down onto the ground. You alone here? If he was, that meant she'd been in secui form for naught.
=D Just a continuation of our storytelling thread, I guess!
Word Count → 384
Hati waited but heard no response. Assuming Lottie or whomever it was simply hadn't heard him, he returned his attention to the old book, turning the yellowed page delicately to see what else it contained. That page had no diagrams, so he flipped to the next one, interested when he found a drawing of a human skull. It was so round and flat compared to that of canines. He tried to picture a creature with no muzzle like that, but didn't have anything to base it on. Perhaps there were illustrations of humans in this encyclopedia.
Then he heard Terra's cheery greeting, and glanced up in surprise. His household largely preferred the upright Optime form for their daily lives, what with the civilized culture of reading books, sleeping in beds, cooking their food, eating with utensils and plates, even horseback riding. It was the way Hati and his littermates had been raised, and being able to shift was an important rite of passage, since now he could take part in all the little rituals. It was still fun to run around on all fours, and usually a faster way to travel, but Hati was feeling more and more comfortable standing on two legs. It was a cultural difference, though, because he was aware of packmates such as Terra that preferred the wild freedom of their Lupus form. That was what surprised him, not her presence there but rather to see her enter standing upright. She was still smaller than him, lithe and skinny as always, but he liked seeing this side of her. Her pointed coyote face was framed by her wild red mane, drawing out the green hues of her eyes as well as the silver necklace and collar she was sporting.
"Bonjour, Terra! You look pretty today," he said with a smile as she settled next to him, sneezing at the dust from his book. "Everyone else does seem to be out," he admitted with a shrug, unperturbed. It was quieter when his family was out and about the kingdom, although there were still unexpected guests like Terra that dropped by from time to time, seeking an audience with the king. "Who did you come to see? I can tell them you dropped by," Hati offered politely, assuming it was probably Skoll.
Terra grinned at the surprised look on his face, tail swaying behind her. He was easy to surprise, always caught off guard by her actions. Not that Terra was terribly unpredictable. She was just active, constantly moving and doing things. Hati always seemed to be there when she decided to break free of her usual routine to try something new. Tossing her head Terra settled down to be more comfortable. I'm always this fabulous. Winking at Hati to show she was joking Terra laughed softly.
Nodding her head Terra looked around. In the evening the house would fill up with the various family members, coming in to go about their business and enjoy each other's company. Right now though it was quiet, a chance to rest. Smirking Terra looked at Hati, green eyes burning. You of course. Who else would I come to see? Her voice was more silken as she spoke, dipping into a touch of mystery. The same air that she held when performing magic wrapped around her, ready to bespell the pup with her tricks.
Terra has such an unflappable aura of confidence around her -- it seemed like nothing ever fazed her, every time Hati saw her. He knew he was always overthinking things, stressing about every little interaction as he replayed them in his mind, and it made him a little envious to see her flawless tenacity. She was a lot like Skoll in this regard, naturally dominant and charismatic, someone he found himself wanting to follow and emulate. "You should go like this more often, you really do look fabulous," he admitted, grinning shyly as she settled in next to him. She was like Skoll in a cute coyote girl's body.
He closed the heavy old book and pushed it aside, assuming she would not be interested in such a thing. He was losing interest in it himself, since it was discouraging not to know what most of the words meant. He had high standards for himself, but gave up easily. "Well... I thought you might be here to invite Skoll to play. Or you wanted to speak to Mother about something feminine," he said matter-of-factly, knowing that it was highly unlikely that Terra wanted to see him specifically. Still, the way she said that made him want to believe it; there was such intensity in her green eyes, such allure to her voice. Maybe she did mean it. It was difficult to tell with Terra, she could lie just as fluidly as she told the truth, and he would never know the difference if she didn't want him to. Sometimes this was frustrating, because Hati liked to know exactly where he stood with others, and he was incapable of lying, but... it was also the wild side that made her so interesting. "What did you want to see me about...?" he asked tentatively, expecting her to laugh at him for believing her trick.
Terra looked down at her body, considering. She did look nice, it was true. Kit definitely appreciated the beauty of being on two legs. It wasn't beauty that she was necessarily after though. Often it was the tricks and games that she was capable of on four legs. She was better at escaping, and even if she couldn't make things as complex for a trap, it suited her well enough. It was the form she'd grown up in, the one she understood best. Terra doubted that she would abandon it, even if the sleek form she now wore was preferred. Her feral form was the one she would keep.
Cocking her head Terra nodded. Both were perfectly plausible reasons to come and visit. If Terra needed help with something she usually came to Ayita. Skoll was usually up for her games as well. She hadn't come looking for either of them though, just wanting to come in and visit for a short time. Asked what she wanted to see him for Terra smiled. It had taken a moment, but Terra had concocted something to share with Hati. You remember last time, when I told you about Coyote's tricks? I have something to show you. Standing up she stepped over, heading for the door. He would like this.
She did not refute his guesses, but merely nodded, accepting their plausibility. Hati was not wrong, he knew she was more likely to visit other members of his family first, but it seemed today she really was going to focus her attention solely on him. He swallowed, hoping it would be a positive experience. She was so fearless, so brazen, that she could be leading him into something he was not ready to handle, like crossing the borders into the lawless territories beyond the Court. The world outside of his home was still unknown to him.
Obediently Hati rose to his feet, pushing the book into the corner so that it would not be disturbed by anyone until his return. He brushed his legs and elbows out of habit, wanting to meticulously ensure that there was no dust clinging to his dark pelt. Perhaps he was a vain creature, though the more likely explanation was that he wanted to look refined and proper at all times, so that he could maintain a clean reputation. It was more than just courtesy and manners to him. He had taken all of the rules of his household to heart and became a formal and solemn male, mirroring the dignity his father exuded as King. But even his father knew when to relax and let the facade slip, something Hati was not comfortable with doing.
Hati followed Terra to the door, noting the energy in her slender form. She always seemed so animated, excited by everything around her. "What are you going to show me? You're... not going to play a trick on me, are you...?" He asked hesitantly, watching the shorter female closely. The Coyote in her stories was an unpredictable character who sowed chaos for the sole sake of her own amusement, not unlike Terra. Still, he trusted her rank enough to follow her blindly out of his home to wherever she was leading him. He hoped it would not make him the brunt of her jokes today.
Soft laughter rang in her voice at his question. No. I wouldn't do that. Well, she would, but that wasn't why she was bringing out Hati this time. The magic tricks Caspa had taught her were laying outside. Terra had thought it would be fun to show Hati how they worked, give him an idea of how Coyote worked her tricks. It was all in the sleight of hand, something she could do even in lupine form. Granted, it was more clumsy, and everything was done with more exaggeration, but it had a similar principal. Hopefully it would work.
Stopping before her pile of toys Terra spun around, a wide smile on her face. This is how her tricks work. Well, more complex and simple than this. Coyote's tricks were made up on the spot, using what was around her. Terra could do the same, but she figured this would be the easiest way to demonstrate the ideas. Picking up the cloak that had been made for her Terra slipped it on. The hidden pockets were still by far her favorite part of the sequined purple coat. Striding up she stood before Hati, her hand slipping out to reveal a bright gem in her grasp.
