they say they ride horses!
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This pack was one of those that kept live horses around. Apparently they sat on them. Now, who would do such a strange thing? Did they not have legs to walk on, strength in their bodies? Conor did not understand why wolves would need to sit on what he could only think of as prey. It was not his right to judge them by their way of living though, and the boy pushed the thought away as he walked along the borders of Aniwaya. Conor was not one of those who stupidly walked into someone’s territory without a clue. He always tried to make sure to follow all guidelines. Walking into a claimed territory was never seen as a particularly smart thing to do for an outsider. Lavender eyes scanned what he could see of the Aniwayan territory for now. His curiosity would not be satisfied by looking at it from afar. He generally liked exploring. Perhaps he could try to call for a member and politely ask to be shown around or something?

Conor was still slightly shy, but he did believe in challenging himself, and he was finding that he slowly was working up more confidence as he succeeded in those tasks he gave himself. The boy, today in his plain wolf form, lifted his face up towards the sky and let out a short yip, not wanting members too far away to be able to hear the call. It would be silly to make them travel long just to be asked to walk him around. No, if there were anyone around closer to him, then great. If not, then that was alright too. This was just something he did in order to try to sate his immediate curiosity about the pack and its lands. Perhaps he could learn how they lived here. Apparently not every pack was like Dahlia. Some were more hostile, like Inferni (or so he had heard) while other tried to live more civilized. Perhaps that was why they were riding horses..


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#2
391.

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Claudius looked ridiculous. He had a number of dyes splattered all over his fur because someone (Tayui, Tayui, Tayui!!!) had thought it would be funny to "accidentally spill" some of the dye on him. It was not funny at all, in fact, it was kind of embarrassing and really mean! How could his own mother spill dye on him and then giggle about it? She had not teased him per say -- and he supposed it had kind of been an accident -- but he still did not think it was that funny. Now he had blue and green dye all over his hands and arms and it would not come off! He had scrubbed and scrubbed and gotten some of it off, but he had not been too successful. Thus, he had resigned himself to always being a white, grey, blue and green wolf for the rest of his life.



So, Claudius had decided to take a walk. Tayui had accompanied him for most of the way, and he could still see her lingering behind him a ways off, making sure no bears or bobcats ate him, but Claudius just really wanted to be alone. But he did not want Tayui to wander off too far, since he was still afraid something or someone would gobble him up. He really hoped that Cow did not come back, since the first time he met him, he had been scary enough.



And then Claudius heard a quick, loud yip coming from the borders. It startled him so badly that he froze for a few moments before deciding to continue on. Maybe he could see who it was? Yes! He could! He would go see who it was! Okay! Mission decided!



Completely forgetting about how silly he looked, Claudius quickly made his way to the edge of the territory. There, he saw a brown wolf, perhaps Claudius's age, with purple eyes. He kind of almost looked like Ocèane, but not quite, since Ocèane didn't have purpley eyes.



"W...who..." Claudius started, feeling rather bold, but stopped abruptly, suddenly remembering he was covered in that stupid dye. He frowned, then tried again, not wanting to look silly for talking and then not saying anything. "W-who... a-are y-you?" he stuttered at last, blushing slightly. He hoped the other boy wouldn't make fun of his dyed fur.
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#3
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The boy stood patiently on his spot as he waited. He did however allow his lavender orbs to investigate the nearby scenery. He thought that nature alone was quite pleasant, but he did also quite like the remaining human buildings back home. Halifax seemed to be a quite extraordinary place as well, but he still felt traces of terror and fear when he walked too close to the fallen human city. The trauma from his early childhood could still sting worse than any bee. He was certain there were lots of libraries and abandoned book stores there though. One day he would have to gather all the courage he could find and take a walk there. Dahlia had claimed a great amount of territory and that meant that Halifax was not too far away. Despite the fact that Haku Soul was the scariest person in the world, Dahlia felt safe and secure. If his emotions turned on the boy while exploring the city where he almost had died then it would not take too long before he would be able to walk on Dahlia soil again.


When he first saw the approaching Aniwaya wolf his lips curled upwards instantly. He could not erase that amused smile no matter how much he tries, but at least he managed to keep that surprised laughter from bubbling up his throat and out between those treacherous lips. He guessed that the male was generally light gray, but it seemed he had gone through with some odd activity that had left him with green and blue dye on his hands and arms. It looked quite funny. Conor’s face grew slightly shy, and the stupid smile made him feel bad because he did not know if it would make the other boy feel bad. Perhaps that was how he looked every day. Conor had no idea, but he absolutely hated the thought of screwing up in any way.


The Soul boy only felt worse when it was revealed that this boy stuttered. He felt so bad, poor boy. Lavender eyes could no longer look directly at the boy, so he was unable to see the light blush in the Aniwayan’s face. That was a good thing. His own cheeks soon held a touch of the same colour. He wished he had not called for a member of this pack. ”Uhm.” the young Dahlian said, wildly searching his brain for the words he had prepared while he had been waiting to see if anyone would come and greet him. His head suddenly felt so messy now, and because this was a new situation with a stranger present he was starting to get attacked by spikes of adrenaline. ”I’m Conor, hello,.. uhm, I..” Lilac eyes wanted to look at the person he was talking to, but he couldn’t quite do it. ”I..” This was horrible.


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#4
330.

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Claudius could see the boy looking at him as he made an assortment of silly faces. What was this boy doing? He kept scrunching up his face for a few moments, but then he would pause, let his face deflate, and then do it all over again. It looked silly, and for a moment, Claudius forgot about his own shyness. He wanted to ask the boy why he was making those faces, but he didn't want to seem stupid. Everyone else he had met were always able to tell when people were happy, sad, angry, or annoyed, but Claudius couldn't figure any of it out. Tayui always knew when he was feeling shy, but he could never tell if Tayui was shy or angry! And he could never tell when Attila was going to do something to him. Thus, Claudius had no idea what the other boy was thinking, and was sufficiently puzzled by the other child's body language. Claudius did not understand any of it.



The other boy looked away for a moment, and Claudius took the chance to glance over his shoulder to check if Tayui was still nearby. He let out a quiet, relieved sigh when he saw her, waiting patiently for him under a tree. She was sitting down at the base of a tree with her legs crossed, resting her back against the pine, rummaging around in a leather bag. Claudius turned his attention back to the wolf in front of him. Uhm, the boy began, pausing for a moment. He continued, I’m Conor, hello,.. uhm, I.. I... and stopped abruptly.



"J-just s-say it. I-I'm C-c-c-claudius, and, I l-live here. Wh... where a-are you f-from?" He tried to pose his question politely, but found the entire concept of asking a question to be quite daunting. He tried to encourage the boy at first, but switched tactics, introducing himself instead. He didn't want Conor to think he was condescending! That would not be nice at all.

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#5
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This boy’s name was Claudius and he looked weird. Conor did not know where his gaze should be allowed to settle. If he looked at the other boy he knew he would just end up staring because of the unique and mismatching colours. He had never seen anything like it, never briefly touched the thought of using dye in such a manner. For all he knew this could be some kind of mutant with mutant arms in very wrong colours. It was never easy to know things because ‘Souls was inhabited by many special individuals. Conor knew this already. Suddenly the young Dahlian spotted another wolf, a woman close by. The Soul boy became puzzled then, realizing that she had no intentions of interfering the two boys’ meeting. She looked quite much older than the youth and Conor wondered if it could possibly be Claudius’ mother.

It was nice to have an easy question to respond to while finding his premade presentation. ”I am from Dahlia de Mai, from far northeast I think.” The young boy took a chance and allowed his lavender eyes to return fully to the other adolescent. ”I have not been here before and I’m curious about these lands.” Lilac gaze slowly moved down the pale’s boy’s throat and over to shoulder then down to those green and blue patches. ”This is Aniwaya, is it not?”


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#6
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As soon as Conor mentioned where he was from, Claudius visibly brightened. Conor was from Dahlia de Mai! Could that mean he knew Addison? Claudius had liked when met Addison, and wondering if everyone in the pack was as nice as she was. Everyone in AniWaya -- except Attila! -- was super nice and Dawali was Claudius's favourite to talk to. He was smart, sort of like Tayui, but knew all sorts of different things. While Tayui knew a lot about how things worked, all about ghosts and spirits, and lots of stories, Dawali knew other things. He rode a horse, he had braids and feathers in his hair, and was, of course, the leader of the tribe. Claudius wished he could be as confident as Dawali was. Maybe Dahlia de Mai had their own kind of Dawali? Claudius wondered what the leader there was like.



"Y-yeah, this is AniWaya," Claudius replied, slightly more confident now. Being able to recognize where Conor was from made him feel a little more comfortable, and thinking about how strong Dawali was almost made it seem like Claudius could be that strong, too!



Claudius flinched when he noticed the other boy looking at his arms. He had hoped it would not be too visible, but he supposed he was wrong. Claudius did not like thinking that Conor was laughing at him inside his head.



"D-d-d-on't l-laugh, o-okay? I d-didn't m-mean to get it a-all over mys-self. I-it was an accident!" he said, flattening his ears. He didn't want Conor to think he was bad at using the dyes or think he wasn't smart. Claudius didn't want anyone thinking he wasn't smart.



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#7
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Short D:

        The golden boy wagged his tail contently when it was confirmed that this was Aniwaya. The lavender gaze was noticed by the pale boy and Conor’s eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly when he saw the boy cringe. Was it so easy to offend this stranger? Conor was sorry to see how nervous the other seemed. It actually made him feel more confident realizing that this young boy was less secure than him. When Claudius stuttered again Conor tried to produce a comforting smile, though a bit afraid it would be taken the wrong way. ”I’m not laughing at you,” he said soothingly, allowing his white tipped tail to continue its genuine movements. ”What have you been doing? Is it dye or something?” the boy wondered now, thinking it could be a nice idea to show interest in how this had happened to the somewhat younger boy. The Dahlian boy’s gaze slowly sought out the white female every now and then, feeling more tense while in the presence of a stranger adult. riend. Even if he was no longer allowed to sleep in her bed. He could understand why, but he missed her warmth.


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#8
Claudius is actually older than Conor, but totally acts like it's the other way around!!! :o

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The other boy smiled, and for a moment, Claudius was certain Conor was laughing at him. Claudius waited for a moment, trying to determine what the boy wanted from him. Maybe he was making fun of him because he was just mean? But Claudius wasn't so sure; he seemed nice. And Dawali was nice (even though he was a guy). Maybe boys weren't as mean as he'd thought?



"Oh," Claudius replied suddenly, surprised at the boy's admission. Perhaps it had been a nice smile afterwards. Claudius wanted to ask why Conor wasn't laughing at him, but he didn't think he'd be able to do it. It seemed too bold! Why not? was asking too many questions and Claudius didn't like it. Of course, Conor solved his problem by posing a question to him, and Claudius was more than happy to reply.



"Y-yeah, it's dye. I was d-dying some beads for a friend of mine. She's f-from Dahlia de Mai, too. H-her name is A-Addison and she's n-nice," he informed Conor. He felt proud to be able to tell the other boy that he had a friend and that she was from his pack! Maybe Conor knew her! Maybe he knew about her beads, too! Claudius wanted to surprised her with his present, so he quickly added: "d-don't tell her, o-okay? It's a s-surprise!"


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#9
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I knew something seemed weird. Meh!

        The pale boy seemed to warm up just a tiny bit when it was settled that Conor was not laughing at him in any way. Or, Conor hoped it was. It made the young male feel bad when he believed someone else thought wrongly of him. Cambria had thought him a bully until he had visited her and explained that he had not intended to hurt her. He was nothing like his father, and every tiny part of him that could remind anyone of Haku Soul, the young boy despised. Ears perked with interest when the boy answered his question. It was not a one word reply; the boy spoke elaborated. Purple eyes settled temporarily on the older (libri is smart) boy’s dyed fur and he understood. Poor Claudius.

        
His eyebrows furrowed for a short moment and indeed he knew who Addison was. He had not actually met her or interacted with her, but he knew that she was a part of Dahlia de Mai. ”I know who she is, yeah,” the Dahlian grinned. When the boy added that it was a surprise, Conor’s open palms flew up in an innocent manner. ”Don’t worry, I won’t tell her a thing,” he announced. No matter if Conor had been Addison’s best friend he would never have told. The Dahlian male was dependable and he had no issues keeping secrets unless they were designed to conflict harm. Claudius seemed to be a kind hearted soul. Conor liked that.

        
”She must be quite the lucky girl then.” Addison seemed to be lucky indeed. Only those who loved you gave you presents out of the blue (in most cases anyway).


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#10
Mehhhhhh. I thought Conor was older too until I double-checked, haha. Also: Claudius is obvliousssss. To everything. B'aww. Smile

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He knew her! Conor knew Addison! The thought that Addison was real and that other real people knew her made Claudius very happy. Sometimes, Claudius thought something was wrong with himself, since he saw blurry clouds nearby, but when he would double check, nothing was there! And sometimes he heard them say things, but he still didn't know what was going on. Most of the times, the clouds had good ideas, but Claudius didn't like thinking his only friends were just puffs of smoke or floating voices. Having a real friend was nice. Especially if Conor knew her too, since that meant she was really real.



"I-I guess," Claudius replied to Conor's last point. He was not sure why she would be lucky; he was just finishing up the dying they had started. It wasn't as though it made her lucky, did it? Claudius was confused, but he tried not to show it. "I like dying... things. I d-dyed my a-arm here," he said, gesturing to his right shoulder. "And I d-dye other things. I'm s-still l-learning n-now... but I-I'm g-getting better. A-Add-i-s-son and I a-are dying things together, since she h-has g-good ideas," he finished awkwardly. Claudius glanced up at Conor shyly, wondering if he should say anything else. In the end, he chose to remain silent, wondering what else Conor would say. Maybe boys weren't so mean after all.


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#11
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300+I hate not having access to a proper spell and grammar check at work.. >_>!

        Conor was unsure if Claudius had understand what he meant by saying that Addison was lucky, but the young male was in no way a mind reader and he was not particularly skilled at reading people’s faces. Instead of wondering what the pale boy’s mind was thinking, he listened in on what he said now. When the Aniwayan gestured to his right shoulder, Conor’s interest could never be more sincere. The golden boy’s face lit up with wonder. He was impressed. Without thinking he stepped a bit closer, tilting his head as he inspected the mark that he somehow had managed to ignore until now. An impressed grin spread across his face. This boy had skill. ”Wow, that’s so cool,” the Soul male announced, eyes squinting as he kept admiring what looked like a tattoo.

        
Claudius was lucky for having a friend. Conor tried not to think of his disappointingly low number of friends. He rarely ever spent pure quality time with anyone. It sounded fun, what Claudius and Addison were doing. He felt a pinch of jealousy, but knew better than to let it get hold of him. Only one person could help his situation and that was Conor. He was still healing from severe mental wounds. The world would have patience with him, he was sure. Perhaps Claudius here would prove to be a future comrade? Toying with that thought, the cinnamon male already felt lighter at heart. "I wish I could do something like that.” Or perhaps someone else could do it for him? ”Would you be willing to dye a part of my fur in exchange for something?” the Dahlian male asked, wondering what in the world he could come up with as acceptable payment for such awesomeness.

        
He didn’t feel particularly good at anything, really. His father’s aunt was teaching him the knowledge of healing and Cwmfen nic Graine and Onus had taught him quite a bit about fighting in both forms, but some practical skill? Baah.


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#12
Aren't there internet spellcheckers? I've had to use those a few times. :o

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Claudius was genuinely surprised when Conor began expressing interest in his dying abilities. Claudius had never really told anyone what he did, mostly because no one had really asked. Until recently, the only luperci around his age had been his family, and he had been to afraid to venture out of the tribelands to meet other puppies. Thus, he had grown up more or less with the same faces, mostly with Noir and Ocèane, and avoiding Attila when possible. At the mention of it being cool, Claudius blushed a little, not used to receiving compliments from strangers.



"T-thanks," he replied politely. Of course, then Conor asked a really big question, causing Claudius to widen his eyes in surprise. "Oh, I-I don't know, I-I had a t-tough time with m-mine... I w-wouldn't want to m-make you l-look s-stupid if I messed up," he stated honestly. He did not want Conor to dislike him if he ruined his fur. Claudius only wanted Conor to like him -- maybe enough to some day come back to AniWaya to say hello to him -- and did not want to mess it up! Claudius wondered if he should leave now, and just keep things where they were. No dying Conor's fur and they could maybe have small, quiet conversations every so often. That would be nice. Claudius didn't want anyone to hate him.




Claudius glanced behind him for a moment, double-checking to see if Tayui was still there; she was. Claudius let out a quiet sigh of relief, then turned back to look at Conor once more. He had light, brown and tan fur, and Claudius did not want to go around ruining it. And even if he could dye it, what would he do?


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#13
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Spellchecker i have, but at home there's a nifty cool grammar checker too. Sometimes it reveals some of my less pretty sentence structure D:

        The young Dahlian did not doubt that Claudius had had a hard time creating the dyed figure on his arm, but the result was in fact quite impressive, so why wouldn’t the pale boy be able to do something similar a second time? After all, practise made perfect, wasn’t it so? Ears fell slightly in quiet disappointment when it was made clear that the pale Aniwayan seemed not particularly interested in dying his fur. It was a shame, because it looked quite awesome and it would have given them an opportunity to get better acquainted. The lilac eyed male thought this boy was quite friendly and saw possibilities for them, but he had to take the possibility that Claudius was not all that interested into consideration as well.

        
The golden boy was a bit uncertain of how to react, but eventually he too decided to be honest. ”That’s too bad, it sure could have been fun. And I wouldn’t have cared all that much if it had not turned out as good as yours, because it would eventually be washed out and I don’t care if people laugh at me or not.” Especially they were making fun of him because of such a silly thing as a part of dyed fur. Conor meant what he said. Over the last months his confidence had shot through the roof. It was not on a dangerous level, but rather balanced as it should be. He had also started to adapt to an attitude that said that no one could make him really feel bad without his permission. This was what he tried to believe and follow, at least in theory.


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#14
Oh, snap, I thought I already replied to this!

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Conor's reply was certainly nothing like what Claudius had expected. He had anticipated the boy agreeing with him, and was rather surprised when he did not. Claudius flinched slightly when Conor said he did not care if anyone laughed at him, not understanding how that was possible. Attila laughed at Claudius plenty, and that was enough to make him feel bad. He did not like it at all. So why would Conor be willing to put up with that sort of thing? Claudius did not understand.



"O-oh," he replied at first, shifting awkwardly as he tried to find of a way to respond. He wanted to say something smart, but he couldn't think of anything that would be fitting. He did not even know what he wanted to say! And to think he usually thought he was (kind of) smart. Certainly, he was not as smart as the adults, but he knew things and he could sort of read. But now, it almost seemed like Conor was smarter in how strong he was. Claudius was jealous.



"W-why not? W-why wouldn't you care?" he asked at last. He as genuinely curious. How could someone not care about something like that?
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#15
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300+ whoaaa fail post sorry!

        Easier said than done, indeed. The meeting with Claudius had started off with some difficulties on both the boys’ parts. Now when Conor had found his voice again he felt secure and his voice sang out strongly as he spoke. The paler boy still seemed to be a bit nervous, but Conor was determined not to judge the boy by this. They were all different and he firmly believed that every person had his or hers own set of strengths and weaknesses. If dying was one of Claudius’ strengths then it was only right to try to support him. A smile danced across the Dahlian’s slim maw at the Aniwayan’s uncertain, unintelligible reply as he clearly was buying time to find a better answer.

        
Forehead wrinkled slightly as the question came. He wished to serve the boy a meaningful and strong reasoning without taking it all out and explain about his cruel father that always made him feel like a purebred loser. "Because no-one should have the right to judge me because what I look like, and because it’s not their business,” the young Soul boy started slowly, wishing he could express this better. ”Why let other people let you feel bad for who you are? We are all different. If I said I hated dying, then that doesn’t mean that dying is stupid. If you like it then you have the right to like it, and you have to practise to get better. Perhaps some would think I would look silly if it got spilled all over me, but it’s just painting that would go off. It’s no big deal at all. If mocked me just for that, then they would be the silly ones, not me.” Conor felt fail, but he hoped the essence of his words would reach the light hued boy.

        
Ears twitched sideways as the boy wondered if he should push on trying to get Claudius to dye his fur or not. If the older boy did not want to then he wouldn’t want to force him.


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#16
I liked it! Big Grin

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Claudius had been wondering the entire time what set Conor and him apart. He wondered if it was courage; from what he observed, Conor had a great deal of it, and Claudius had absolutely none. Everything he had done had been at the behest of his mother, which he had dutifully obeyed. Certainly, he had offered a meek protest when they had ventured to Dahlia de Mai, but Conor never would have. Claudius knew it, because Conor was brave (and Claudius was not). Claudius thusly determined that it was such an attribute that set the two boys apart, which made Conor great and Claudius weak.



It was not just Conor’s strength that impressed him. The Dahlian boy seemed very nice, too, and Claudius liked it. The Aston boy had never met any boy his own age that had been nice, and he had thought all of them were mean. Of course, he had only met Attila, so he supposed he had grossly erred in that assumption. Claudius quietly watched Conor as he spoke, watching as the boy’s words came forth with such strength and certainty. Claudius was horribly impressed.



“I don’t think I could do that. I don’t want them to laugh at me, and I don’t like it when anyone does. I don’t think I could do what you do. I just like dying. I don’t need anyone to know that, do I?” Claudius wrinkled his nose in thought. He did not want anyone laughing at him, but he would like to impress someone, perhaps many people. He just wasn’t ready yet for people to know he could be wrong. He wanted to be smart and strong and always right.

“Why do you know so much?” Claudius asked suddenly, wanting to know where this boy derived his wisdom from.
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#17
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300+

        He was sorry to hear the boy’s voice speak out. No one liked it when they were laughed at, but different individuals granted different reactions within each and every one and although Conor believed he could stand being mocked and laughed at and be able to stand on his feet, he realized that not everyone would be able to do this. Words of courage and assistance were easy to speak, but change was needed to grow strength to withstand such things. Conor’s lived had started in hell, and he could see some of his earlier self in Claudius. Exactly where he had found the strength that was slowly changing him into a better and mentally stronger being, he knew not. Perhaps he had found a way because he would have been unable to go on if change did not mend the wings broken so soon. He had been pushed down into the dirt for so long and had realized that no one had the right to do so without his allowance. That was it, basically.

Claudius said that he did not think that he could do what the golden Dahlian could, and Conor was sorry to hear. He believed differently, but there was only one person that could change this and that was Claudius. ”No one needs to know, of course, but I don’t see why it should be a secret; because it is a great skill that few possess.” Conor thought it sad that the boy was embarrassed for a skill that many would appreciate. His thoughts would have wandered further on the topic of the Aniwayan’s odd lack of self confidence when he was thrown off by the older male’s direct question. Conor did not know that he knew a lot. Confusion danced plainly on his light cream and gold face for a moment as he tried to understand what exactly he meant by that. Conor did not know much at all. ”I don’t,” he started off arguing, though did not come much longer than that. ”I like to read books and I like to learn, I guess,” comfortable smile was back in his face now in an effort to settle the other if the confused facial expression moments earlier had intimidated him.



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#18
This thread is cute. :3

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“Just because I'm not telling anyone, it doesn't mean it's a secret,” Claudius objected. For a moment, he felt a surge of elation and something like power rush through his veins. It felt good to stand up to Conor, even if Claudius really liked him. Nonetheless, Claudius did not think there was anything wrong with only telling people he really liked and trusted that he could dye things. He and Addison had bonded over his skill, so he supposed he could start telling some other people about what he could do. Perhaps then he might end up with a few more friends, and perhaps he might be able to put his skills to use making them necklaces, too! But even though Claudius acknowledged this, he still did not want to go around telling everyone what he could do. The last thing he wanted was for everyone to know, or even worse, for everyone think he was bragging. He didn't want to be anything like his brother Attila was, always telling big stories and bragging about things.


Claudius glanced back up at the Dahlian boy, frowning when he noticed Conor's confused expression. Claudius hoped it wasn't his fault; he did not want Conor to get angry at him for having confused him. The AniWayan did not think he had asked a particularly difficult question, so he was unsure why Conor was struggling. But he remained silent, not wanting to interrupt the other boy's thoughts lest he decide to forgo answering the question. Claudius was genuinely curious how this boy who seemed so like him could have so much confidence. However, when Conor gave his answer, it was his turn to be confused — and surprised.


“Yes you are,” Claudius insisted. “I read books and all I like to do is learn, but I don't know anything you seem to,” he concluded, with a nod. This he was very certain about. There was no way Conor could have just read books and ended up this smart. After all, all Claudius did was read, so why wasn't he like Conor?

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#19
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Ja! Big Grin

         The grin broke into full bloom yet again in the young Dahlian’s face when Claudius vocally objected to his words. He nodded once, fully agreeing with the older boy’s words. ”That’s true, Claudius,” the boy sincerely complimented the other, allowing Claudius too to get some points. It was nothing he had to brag to the entire world about. Conor had believed the lighter hued boy to be sort of shy about what he did, but it was likely that he had been mistaken. Taking things for granted and assuming things was not the way to go and he had been given a little lesson by the Aniwayan now. His muzzle dipped slightly and violet eyes glimmered with friendliness.

He was very pleased to find that one of Claudius’ hobbies was reading. He let the argument about how smart he was lie and moved on to change the topic into one of his passions. ”What do you read?” his voice hurriedly asked; rushed by refreshed eagerness. He wondered whether or not if he was to reveal one of the possible reasons for why he knew things Claudius did not. Conor had been pushed down both mentally and physically. ”My dad is not a kind man. He always said I was weak and worthless and I have worked very hard to prove him wrong.” There it was. Perhaps that was all that he would have to say. It was no requirement to tell the other boy, but Conor felt like he deserved an honest answer.



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#20
Big Grin!

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Conor's reply startled Claudius for a second. He had expected the Dahlian boy to disagree with him, since he had been advocating showing off his abilities just a moment ago. But now, Conor seemed to agree with Claudius! This perplexed Claudius, but he was glad the other boy wasn't going to argue with him; he was happy he had "won" this debate. Claudius grinned widely, nodding his head quickly as Conor decided to speak up again.


“I read all sorts of stuff,” he replied vaguely. “Like dying. I read about how to dye things in a book. And about plants, stars, the sky...” he trailed off as he stared off in the distance behind Conor. He could see everything from his books around him this very moment. He knew what the trees were called and why humans said they were important (though, some parts of his book were falling apart, it was getting tough to read it all). Tayui was trying to write out the books again, but she had not practised in a while, and her letters were large and clumsy in comparison to the books' perfect ones. “And some I don't understand, too. David Hume, An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding,” he declared, pronouncing the words wrong, as he had no idea what they meant. The book confused him a great deal, but one day, he wanted to be able to read it.


When Conor told Claudius why he was so smart, Claudius managed to utter a small, oh in reply, but nothing else. He had pulled his ears back and was now looking at Conor with a great deal of worry. “But it made you smart, so he is wrong. Why doesn't he think you're smart? That's mean, who is he? I don't have a dad, but I guess Dawali is kinda my dad. Dawali's the Kalona -- the chief here. Maybe he would be your dad too,” Claudius offered hopefully.

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