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Set in the Ethereal Eclipse near the CD borders 
Even though the cold bit through his soft coat, the urge to adventure gripped his heart. In his short experience, Haven had found that the wanderlust was usually enough to overcome whatever other urge he had. Currently he was standing at the northern border of his home, staring out into the dense forest beyond. The pup had never stepped outside of his home without his mother. Sure, that first time he hadn't exactly started out "with" her, he had been following her (supposedly) without her knowing. But really he had never been out on his own.
The forest was deep and dark, only the occasional snowflake could pierce the protective ceiling of trees. The pumpkin boy took a deep breath and took that first fateful step past the boundaries of Crimson Dreams. After his body was completely out of the territory, he looked back with a triumphant grin. He started a leisurely pace into the forest, tail swaying to and fro.
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[html] The days had been quiet for the most part, aside from the night that he had watched his own home burn to the ground with his father. Since then, Jasper had been lingering near Inferni, though he hadn't gotten up the guts to go in to the lands on his own, despite Corona having invited him. In a way it didn't feel right being there. Corona was the only one he had any connection with, the only one with any ounce of care for him, while the rest of them certainly hated him. Did they know about him yet? Had they picked up his scent around the lands? Had Gabriel found out about him being there? Jasper wasn't certain and it worried him. Worried him to the point that his stomach churned and he felt sick just thinking about it.
It was for that reason that Jasper was out wandering, forcing himself away from Inferni and out across the lands to see what could be found. He'd been making his way through a dense forest when he came across the boundaries of a pack, one that he knew very little about. Nervous, Jasper shifted direction, taking a wide arc away from their borders and a bit further into the forest. It was then, as he was rounding a rather large tree, that he saw the child. He'd only glanced for a moment but that split second caused him to stop and look again. The child seemed quiet the odd color, but it was the pup's ear that caught his eye. "Hello." Jasper said quietly, hands clasped together and rubbing at each other nervously. He'd never been so bold before, but he'd also never seen another that seemed like him.
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The pup was just strolling through, looking up at the trees that seemed like they reached all the way to sky. Maybe they did. Maybe that was why you couldn't really see the sky in here. And why the snow wasn't so thick. It reminded him of the ceiling in the mansion, but this was a natural one. Maybe that's where the humans had gotten the idea to cover their dens like that. He had to admit that he liked being outside without his feet freezing in the snow. The white stuff could be fun to play with sometimes, but it was getting way too cold to be enjoyable anymore.
He had thought he heard movement off to his side, but hadn't paid it much attention. That was until he heard the soft "hello". Haven's head spun around to see a male luperci looking at him. The guy looked nervous. He wondered why. Surely he wasn't scared of the pup. Perhaps there was something bad lurking around in these woods? A large smile came to his face and he sauntered over to the man. "Hi's!" the boy said cheerfully. "Is you afraid of sumtin'?"
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[html] The response from the pup brought a faint smile to Jasper's lips and, if only for a moment, his hands paused in their nervous movements, holding still against him. Rejection was something that Jasper was all to familiar with, perhaps he even feared it, but it was silly to have expected it from a child. Then again, he didn't find to many children that were interested in most adults, from his experience they'd rather just run off on their own. "Me, oh uh..no.." Jasper answered the young male's question, despite the small voice in his head that screamed at him and called him a liar. "I'm afraid of everything." didn't seem like a very fitting answer.
Instead of trying to explain or further discuss the question, Jasper shifted his weight to drop to the ground, legs pulled close and one hand lifting to touch his right ear, the single black ear. "You're ear is a different color, like mine." He pointed out quietly, unaware if the child had ever had a chance to look in a mirror or see his reflection in the water. As silly as it may have seemed, it was quite astonishing to the older male and, somehow, made him feel less alone in the world.
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Well, it was a relief to hear that he wasn't afraid of anything. These woods must be clear of monsters then, he decided. He would have to bring Mati here, now that he knew they were safe. The boy wasn't about to take his sister anywhere where there were monsters! The two had had enough excitement when they had run into that bear cub not too long ago. Haven didn't mind a good adventure, but his main concern was keeping her safe and happy. This forest seemed like a very interesting place. He was pretty sure she would like it.
The pup watched as the man sat down and touched his ear. He hadn't even really noticed, but he did have two different ears like Haven did! They were even the opposite ears! That was pretty cool! "Yahs! It is! Thas cool!" He said while taking a seat, tail thumping on the damp ground happily. "They's on the opposite sides and they's opposite colors, too!" The Aatte boy found that almost more interesting than just finding someone who had two different colored ears. It was like they were perfectly mismatched, or something.
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