The wafting aroma of wild roses reached his nostrils, ensnaring the six-year-old in a web of flowery goodness. They reminded him of his sisters; two natural beauties with nettlesome personalities. Another birthday had come and gone away, making him much older than he’d been a few days prior. His littermate Tayui was still a beauty even at the age of six. At least, he thought so. He, on the other hand, struggled with the multitude of grey hairs appearing on his muzzle. Granted, no one could see them amongst his white-colored pelt but he knew they were there, which was enough to fuel his insecurities.

Honoré wanted to give his sister the prettiest flower out there; it would surely make up for his latest screw-up. Keeping Noir out all night hadn’t been his intention, but they’d been having so much fun together! Time went by much faster in her company, it seemed. Closing in on his target (the nicest patch of red roses in all of ‘Souls, he was sure of it!), the Québécois meticulously picked out the prettiest of them all. It was located right in the middle of the rose bush, a rare diamond gleaming in the sunlight. It was perfect. His opinion quickly changed though, as he leaned forward and curled his fingers around the stem. Bad idea.

A surprised yowl spewed out of his partly opened maw as one if the rose’s thorns punctured the tip of his thumb. A single drop of blood surfaced and sent his mind reeling. Little did he know, things were about to get considerably worse. He’d unknowingly trespassed into foreign pack lands and thanks to his defective sense of smell, he wasn’t about to realize it on his own. His full attention was focused on his bloodstained finger.

I've decided the roses aren't too far from the mansion. yup XD 300+


The young Marino was sprawled out on the porch of the mansion. Her hind legs stuck out behind her as her front paws and head rested on her butterfly toy. It was a lazy day for the pup, but she liked it that way right now. There had been a lot going on with her lately. Her daddy had taken her on that long trip up to the beach, and then her mommy had taken her to the tribe off to the west where she had met Noir. For someone who was not the adventurous type, it had been kind of exhausting. Not that she didn't enjoy it at the time, she had. But now all she wanted to do was lay around. Her breathing was calm and steady and her lids drooped and finally closed over her eyes. A nap was exactly what she wanted right now.



She couldn't say how long she had been asleep. A couple minutes or a couple hours, but when that painful yowl sounded through the otherwise silent air Cambria nearly jumped out of her fur. Before she knew it she was on her feet and her sea foam colored orbs were wide and panicked. What was that? It sounded like someone was hurt. The Marino girl was hardly the one to go out rescuing people (she imagined she was the one who would always need rescuing) but she felt the urge to go find who had been hurt. It hadn't sounded like any of her family, but maybe it had been and she would feel awful if she didn't go see them. So she awkwardly made her way down the stairs of the porch and bounded off towards the distressed noise.



As she was coming to where the roses were a strange man came into view, concentrating on his finger. Seeing that it was someone she didn't know her pace slowed and she approached cautiously. Maybe he was mean and maybe he'd get mad at her. That thought scared her, but she supposed she had come this far to see if he was alright it'd be stupid not to check. Her ears folded back against her head as she edged closer, though still kept a good distance. "Is...is you...okies?" she asked nervously, ready to take off at the first hint of aggression.

It felt as though his heart had relocated in the tip of his index finger; he could feel his whole body vibrating with the rhythmic pounding of his cardiac organ. It stung! Honoré half-expected the pain to escalate, to become far greater than it already was. His whole paw would surely swell up and become the size of his head! Panic jolted inside of him; waves of distress electrifying his brain and erasing all traces of common sense. A high-pitched voice no louder than a squeak tore him out of his stupor. Breath caught in his throat and he turned ever so slowly, half-expecting to see a mouse of some sort. What he saw wasn’t a rodent, but it was just as small!

A little puppy, much smaller than Noir, was standing a few feet away from him. Honoré blinked, noting how she stared up at him with those beady eyes. He couldn’t help but feel slightly self-conscious. Getting caught off guard temporarily took his mind off the microscopic wound on his finger and the pain rapidly became a dull ache. He mimicked her behavior, flattening both of his ears against his skull and returning the same wide-eyed stare. “Nooo,” he whined pathetically, lowering his finger for her to get a better look at the prick of blood. “Fix it! Please! Or I lose mine finger maybe!” For once, Honoré wasn’t trying to be a smartass. He was genuinely concerned about his well-being.

The small pup watched the adult nervously. Not only were her own nerves incredibly evident, but she could feel how distressed the man was. She had never seen an adult so upset before and somehow she knew that that couldn't possibly be good. Instinctively her tail tucked up against her belly. When he turned to look at her she saw surprise spread over his features. Apparently he hadn't expected anyone else to be around. Didn't he know that he was in a pack territory? He didn't belong to Crimson Dreams, her little nose told her that much. Grown ups knew better than to just go into another pack, didn't they? Even she knew you weren't supposed to do that. Not that she would have anyway. Cambria was perfectly content to stay inside Crimson Dreams.



When his ears also rolled back she felt a little safer. He didn't look like he was going to be mean to her or anything. She hesitantly stood her ground as he lowered the finger he had been so intent upon for her to look at. Owie! It looked like it hurt! It was bleeding! That wasn't good! Wait, what? He might lose his finger? Panic gripped her heart and she looked up at the man and whined. She was just a little puppy, what could she do? What did mommy and daddy do when she or her sibling got a boo boo? Oh! That's right! They kissed it to make it better! Cambria scooted a little closer and her tiny pink tongue licked the tip of his finger where the blood was. Then she looked back up at him, hoping that had done the trick. She didn't want him to lose his finger!

A whine pierced the tense atmosphere, reflecting the gravity of the situation at hand. Honoré was at a loss of words; he didn’t know what to do or how to fix his problem. Although the bleeding had already stopped, he still couldn’t get over the fact that such a pretty thing was responsible for his injury. Why did people give roses to friends and family? Did they not know how dangerous they really were? Hazel-hued eyes widened in surprise as the puppy scooted within range of his finger. She was a pretty little thing too, just like the red rose he’d tried to take.

As she leaned towards his ridiculously small wound, a jolt of panic zipped through his mind and body. What was she doing? For a moment, the Québécois was positive she would hurt him too. But he didn’t move his hand away, somewhat intrigued by the little girl’s behavior. When the child’s salmon-colored tongue swept over his finger, his anxiety magically vanished. He couldn’t help but stare down at her, completely taken aback by the sudden gesture of kindness. No one had ever done such a thing for him. His shock was slowly replaced by a peculiar feeling; he could feel heat radiating from his cheeks. Was he feverish now? Oh, no! The rose had made him sick!

He certainly didn’t feel ill though; it was a mixture of embarrassment and appreciation. Pursing his lips together, Honoré slowly retracted his finger to get a better look at his injury. The pup had taken away most of the crimson-colored fluid! And she’d done all that… for him? He blinked in disbelief, unable to understand the reasoning behind the purity of her intentions. “You saved mine life.”

300+


She had never been in such a serious situation before. The only thing that came close was when they were out with momma and Amata had wandered off when Gotham had gotten a burr in his paw and that mean lady had hit her. Momma had been so mad! She had never seen her mother be anything but sweet and kind and gentle so seeing her so angry had been a little frightening. Yet at the same time it filled the pup with a huge sense of safety. Her mother was strong and she would protect her and her brother and sister no matter what. She wasn't afraid to stand up to people like the mean lady. This situation was different though, there was no one she knew around and the only adult was just as upset as she was. Oh dear, this was all so nerve wracking. Had she made his finger better?



As Cambria looked up at the pale man he stared right back down at her. He had nice warm brown eyes. They reminded her of the wood inside the mansion. Especially the parts of it that were still shiny in places. After a few moments he brought his finger back up to his face to inspect it. At least the air had suddenly become less tense. Had her kiss really worked? When the man spoke her chocolate ears finally perked up. Saved his life? Really? "I...I dids?" At first she had thought it was just his finger that had been in danger, but it had been his whole life? Wow, the girl was glad she hadn't known that earlier, she would have been even more panicky. Her little tail gave a tentative wag as she continued to look up at the adult with the funny thing on his head.

He had to thank her; his savior, a charming little pup with beady eyes of green and a heart of gold! Honoré almost reached for the rose once again, but he stopped himself short before his fingers could coil around the stem. Right, roses were bad. And he certainly didn’t want the little girl to get hurt. Not after what she’d done for him. He pursed his lips together, attempting to find a suitable gift for the young child. His ears twitched instinctively as she piped up, her question radiating innocence at its purest. The six-year-old male nodded gravely, oh-so convinced that she’d indeed just saved him from a massive amount of blood loss.

“Oh, yes yes. It was so so brave!” he exclaimed dramatically, flailing his arms uncontrollably as he spoke. He stopped very suddenly when he took the time to examine his surroundings, looking beyond the rose bush. There was a mansion close by, one he hadn’t seen before. This wasn’t Aniwaya. Was he lost again? Lifting his nose to the sky, Honoré tentatively sniffed the pollen-filled air. His face dropped; ebony lips forming an unhappy frown as he searched for something, anything that would indicate where he was. Turning back to the little girl, Honoré began wondering why she was all alone. Did she live in that mansion over there? “Euh, scuse me, which way is my niece’s home? You know Noir? Noir Aston? I’m her uncle Ho. I’m a little lost, you see.” Maybe she would point him in the right direction.

300+


The pup watched curiously as the man reached down and looked like he would pick one of the roses but then seemed to think better of it and pulled his hand away. Were the roses what had hurt him? She had never heard of anyone getting hurt by a flower, but she supposed it was possible. Maybe they stung like bees stung. Cambria hadn't ever gotten stung, but her parents had warned her about the insects. As he once again assured her that she had saved his life and been very brave a smile grew on her face. She had never ever been called brave before! "Wells I glad I could help yous!" Wow, she had actually helped someone! It felt good! Her tail waved a little faster, happy that he was okay and that she had been complimented.



Though when the man suddenly frowned her own expression mirrored his. Uh oh, what was wrong now? Was his finger hurting again? Though when he explained that he was looking for his niece Noir the Marino pup instantly perked back up. "Noir?! I knows Noir! She is my fwiends, yes she is!" Oh yes, she liked Noir very very much. She was so nice and liked all the same things that Cambria liked best. "I's Cambreeah, by tha ways." Oh, but he needed to get to where Noir lived. It was the tribe with the funny name, but where was it exactly? Her momma had taken her there once, which way had they traveled? The little girl scrunched up her face, trying to remember. "Uhhh, I tink is dat ways," she said pointing west with her paw. Or at least that's what she remembered. "I's not sures tho. I's only been dere once." And she hadn't gone on her own, her mother had carried her.

Everyone was usually so mean to him; roses too, apparently! But not this child. She was oh-so sweet, like the taffy he made every spring. It was probable that she’d be able to point him in the right direction, but never would he have expected her to actually know Noir. His mouth dropped open as the green-eyed puppy explained that his niece was actually a friend of hers. Normally, Honoré would’ve turned green in the face. Green with jealousy! But he couldn’t, not with Cambria. She was such a nice puppy, and nice puppies deserved to be friends with Noir. Because Noir was also nice (most of the time). A smile tugged at his lips when she introduced herself as Cambria, and he promptly countered with his name. “Me,” he started, bringing a hand to his chest. “is Honoré.”

She pointed west, and his hazel-hued eyes peered off in that direction. He certainly couldn’t see Aniwaya from where they stood. How far did he have to walk? It was a little depressing, knowing that he probably wouldn’t make it there before nightfall. Where would he sleep? A smile was forced onto his lips, as if doing so would give him the confidence to keep going. “You like Noir? I want go live with her. You think she will want me to live with her and Toefur?” he asked uncertainly, clearly intimidated by the plush toy his niece loved so much. The octopus plushie was so much better than him. It had eight arms to hug Noir with and he had only two. It was also soft and cuddly, way softer than his fur could ever be. “She say something about uncle Ho when you saw her, maybe?”

sorry for the crap -_-;


Cambria cocked her head to the side as his mouth dropped open in surprised. Why was he doing that? He looked silly with his mouth like that! The girl had to conceal her giggles, she didn't want him to think she was laughing at him, it was only the funny face he was making! But then as she introduced herself he smiled again. She watched as he brought his hand to his chest and spoke his own name. He had a funny way of talking, but that was fine. She didn't care. Little tail swayed back and forth as she smiled up at him. "Nice ta meets yous Ho-nor!" The way he pronounced his name was a little hard for her. It reminded her a little of Italian, but it was still different.



As Honore's gaze followed her paw out to the west she really hoped that she was pointing him in the right direction. It would be awful if he ended up going the wrong way because of her! No, that would be no good at all! But then the man looked back to her and it seemed that they would talk for at least a little while longer. "Yes! I likes Noir vewy much! She was vewy nices ta mes when I visiteds." Nicer than Cambria had known any stranger could be to her. "I tink so! You's her uncles, so why wouldn' she wants you ta lives wif her? My uncle lives here wif me an' I loves him!" Surely Noir would want her uncle with her too! The pup shook her head from side to side. "No's she didn', bu' we didn' weally talks about our famiwies."

Sorry for the wait, bebe! End this now, or with your next reply? 300+

He couldn’t correct her pronunciation, for that would’ve made him a hypocrite. Honoré had probably butchered more names in a week than she had in her lifetime. And honestly, he quite liked the surname she’d baptized him with. Honor! Now that was a strong, admirable name worthy of royalty. He had not repeated the child’s name as of yet, but soon enough, she’d find out that he too, had modified her name to his liking. To him, she was Cambodia. He’d seen the name somewhere, although he couldn’t quite remember where: a book, maybe. For him to give her a nickname of the sort, one he liked especially, was quite a feat! His future girlfriend, assuming there was a special girl out there for him, would bear the name of something he adored more than anything in the world! She would be his sweet, sweet Ketchup. He couldn’t wait to fall in love; the kind of love Geneva had so kindly described back when he’d first joined Phoenix Valley.

It comforted him to hear her say such lovely things about Noir. Not only did she like his niece, but she also loved her uncle very much. This gave him hope. However, said hope vanished as quickly as it had appeared when Cambria explained that his niece hadn’t even mentioned him once during their meeting. Honoré’s face dropped considerably, his lips twisting into an unhappy frown. Despite his efforts to reason with himself, he found it quite difficult to overlook such a thing. His gaze drifted to the west once more, his heart filled with doubt. He took the approaching sunset into consideration and decided that it was time to get a move on. Perhaps, once he finally found Noir, all three of them could meet up and play a game together. Most puppies shunned him because he was too old to play games (or so they said). But Cambria and Noir, they weren’t like most children. So there was hope. “I thank you very very much Cambodia. I try to find her now. Maybe, if you want, I can come back with Noir and see you, yes?”