Word Count: 461

Yumiko's explorations had carried her far further than she intended to wander. The frigid air licked at her eyes and nose, annoying the heat-loving creature to no end. She licked her nose for the thousandth time, only for it to dry up and freeze instantly yet again. Annoyed, she gave up on personal comfort and continued on her way. The forest was quiet; something she had been doing her best to avoid since becoming a member of AniWaya, for it allowed her to dwell on her violent past. She hummed quietly to herself in desperate attempts to keep the thoughts at bay, but knew that without stimulation she would soon succumb to the horrific memories of her family's violent deaths.

She heard the faint gurgling of a stream to her left. As one who grew up next to the ocean, and as one in desperate need of distraction, she couldn't pass up the chance to explore this new find. Yumiko trotted off towards the sound, leaping a fallen log or two, until the river came into sight. The sight took her breath away; it had been so long since she'd seen such a beautiful expanse of water. The gentle lapping at the shores as the swift current passed her by lulled her into an almost stupor. She needed this, needed to not think about anything. She had found a home, after her weeks of wandering, and now she had found her thinking place. A place with no distractions, a place that no one would ever distur.... Who's that? She thought warily, as she noticed a slender she-wolf further down the riverbank. How could she have been that careless? She was no longer in packlands, and there was apparently a war going on in the North. Who knows what this wolf wants.

Turning to face the wolf, who was larger than her (like most wolves), Yumiko took a defensive stance. It wasn't in her to be aggressive, and she didn't want to insult what may be her first friend in these strange lands. "Who goes there?" She called out tentatively, straining to keep her voice in control. Ever since that night, when strangers had murdered her family, she no longer could trust. It took her a long time to believe anything coming from another's maw these days.

"I mean you no harm... I was just exploring." She added, as way of explanation. She took a step towards the she-wolf, more bold than usual, until she was only 6 feet away. Even sitting down the other wolf was easily 5 inches taller than her miniscule 24 inches. She tensed her muscles, ready to run if she had to. She was incredibly swift; she could outrun this stranger if they attacked. She was prepared.

Rio had been so very frightened to venture outside of her home. There was a line that she'd never dared to cross: the borders of Phoenix Valley. It seemed so strange with the line blurred; there were no rules to keep her safely home not that she was a girl of nearly five months. Mingling with her hesitance and outright fear were intense curiosity and a sense of thrill. She wanted to see the whole world, now that it was open to her! Her ambitions had skyrocketed since her freedom was amplified. But it was the fear that kept her from wandering far, and she kept to the river. She had yet to explore a body of water so large, and as she hopped along the bank with restrained energy, she couldn't help but watch the current shift and swirl beside her. Her silver-lilac eyes rarely left the beautiful, icy water.



She paused when she saw, several yards ahead, an agouti female staring, listening to the water. Rio chirped out a soft "hello," but the wine-eyed fem gave no indication that she'd noticed other than the flick of an ear. Why wouldn't she answer? Rio was scared; the woman was larger than she and held an atmosphere of danger around her. The girl was surprised when she heard a different voice from the other side of the silent female. The latter glanced first at Rio, then at the wolf on the opposite side. With an unreadable look in her bloody eyes, she turned and disappeared into the forest. It left a strange, acidic feeling inside Rio, and she didn't know why. The swarthy child instead chose to approach the wolf remaining, a beautiful blond girl with bright eyes. "I thinks we scared'ed her!" she peeped softly. "My name is Rio, Miss!"


here we go, sorry for the delay and confusion! by the way, I LOVE your character's name. 300+

Don't worry about it And thanks. YAY JAPAN! *is not even remotly Japanese :3
Word Count: 590

As she waited in the silence for an answer, Yumiko began to worry that she had somehow offended the she-wolf. She seemed surrounded by sadness and a deeply engrained anger, and Yumiko began to worry. Sure, she was fast, but what if she somehow started another pack war? She would be banished, or even killed for sure. She shuddered slightly at the thought, and looked up to see the other wolf twitch an ear. Twitch an ear. That's all she can do when I talk to her? Twitch?. Getting angry now, a feeling unusual for the young female, Yumiko's tail began to smack the ground as it did when she became impatient.

Suddenly, the other wolf got to her feet and strode into the forest, her trail reeking of despair. Yumiko whined and scooted back a step, surprised and scared. Her body tensed to run, but as the female got further away it became obvious that she wanted nothing to do with her. Her ears lowered and she scowled in annoyance. "Try to be nice to another wolf and get completely ignored. Everyone around here better not be the same way, or I'm gonna go crazy." She got to her feet and shook her head, as if to clear the thoughts away. If she had to leave another home, then that was what would drive her truely crazy. She couldn't bear the thought of wandering again, not after all she'd been through.

She had just made up her mind to leave the river, because despite it's beauty and soothing waters, her mind had left behind the thoughts she had intended to forget with it's crashing waters and she had much left to explore. With a yelp and instinctive growl, uncontrolled despite her rather placid nature, she spun around as a young, inquisitive voice sounded behind her. A small pup stood before her, head cocked in intrest and that curiosity of youth. They couldn't be more than 4 months old. As she quelled her growl instantly and put a smile upon her lips, her ears perked and body attempting to relax. It was just a pup, it meant no harm. But still, sneaking up on someone like that could get them injured if they weren't careful.

Yumiko looked the little wolf over from snout to tail, and, deciding that no harm could come of such an innocent meeting, spoke aloud in a soft voice. "You should be more careful, you know. Sneaking up on people like that could get you attacked." Her smile grew wider and her eyes caring as she remembered that she was hardly much older than the pup and didn't have much right to lecture them. "I guess she had somewhere else to be... I'm Yumiko. It's nice to meet you... Rio."

The name rolled off her tongue, and it sounded just as foreign as her own name. Where their parents came up with such things, she had no idea. Perhaps they were inspired by old human titles, scribed on old signs or in those... books. With little skill in reading, Yumiko had no idea, but she knew that their names were hardly traditional wolf; or Luperci, for that matter. Looking right into the little pup's eyes, she cocked her own head and sniffed the air around them. Innocence... curiosity... and another tribe all rolled off the pup. A quick laugh escaped her; another explorer, perhaps? "You must be very brave, to be out so far from your pack," she said, clearly stroking the little one's growing ego.

There was so much sadness in the young child's heart that sometimes it was too much to bear. She did not like seeing another wolf, especially a pretty young stranger, fraught with sadness such that she had to take her leave. Why was there sadness, anyway? Why wouldn't everyone be happy? Sorrow plagued her at times, coming upon her when she had reason and sometimes when she did not, so suddenly that it seemed she felt it coming from one breath to another. The girl subconsciously didn't want to wonder about the woman who'd left them without a word, not now, when there was someone else to talk to. The trigger had been grazed, but her youthful mind was enough to latch onto the current situation, letting go of the sadness looming like a wave in the distance, a wave that crashed and faded far from reach. She turned her attention to the remaining woman, the sandy-furred stranger.



She was met with wandering blue eyes that scrutinized her as if she might be of harm, and this amused the girl. She was getting a grasp upon the concept of her youth, how others tended to view her as innocent and harmless. Which was true! Luckily, the fem seemed to lack the desire to hurt her. She offered a few words of advice that sounded like what Mama would say. Rio was comforted by this. "I know, I sorries," she returned sheepishly, not wanting to have upset the woman with her ignorance. The blue eyes were concerned and caring, a smile in place on the pretty young face. Yes, this stranger was friendly; not someone to grow nervous about. She called her brave. Rio never, ever felt brave. The compliment had another smile on her own dark face in no time. "Brave. Well maybe, I's just exploring, Miss Yumiko." She nodded to punctuate her words. "Phoenix Vawey nots far away... Where e'you from?"



japanese names are win. I think "rio" is japanese, too. and then her last name is italian. :o 300+

Stupid question, but what form is Rio in? Yumiko was in Lupus form, but I'm not sure with your posts (and mine weren't necessarily clear either). Just so we can be accurate Also pardon my long posts. I like to write

Word Count: 462

Rio seemed rather sheepish, like she didn't want to be hurt for making a mistake or to seem incompetent. Yumiko smiled softly, her maternal side kicking in; she'd always wanted a litter of her own but never had the chance. She remembered when she was that age, afraid of those older than her and never speaking up for herself. Sure, she only had her parents around without the advantage of a pack, but on the rare occasion she was scolded she would just sit there and take it. She never was all that brave.

"Don't be sorry. Just learn for next time, okay?" Yumiko said with a comforting tone. The pup's expression changed yet again, as swiftly as the current of the river beside them. As she complimented Rio, Yumiko saw her eyes light up with glee. Had no one ever praised her before? Didn't her parents know they needed to encourage her to do her best, or she would never improve? She closed the door on her past before it had the chance to open, not wanting anything to ruin this rare moment of serenity. Such a young mind should be kept free of sorrow, even another's. Yumiko's tail beat against the air gently, keeping pace with the pounding of water on rock.

Where was she from? That was a rather difficult question to answer. "I'm new here... but I suppose I'm from AniWaya, now." She said rather uncertainly. She'd been a member less than a month, and had yet to even claim her home. Pheonix Valley; how intriguing. Yumiko was pleased to meet a member of another tribe, and also pleased to see that they were no different than her current. A thought passed through her head... wasn't there a war going on with the other tribes? She didn't know the specifics, as she didn't talk with many in her tribe yet, but she knew enough to realise the signifigance of the battle. She could only pray it didn't affect the young life in front of her. She knew what death could do to a young mind. "So, if you're exploring... would you like to explore some more with me?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realised that it might not be wise. What if something were to happen to the little pup? She would be held responsible, and rightly so. What right did she have to be out and about with another tribe's youth when she barely had the right to be in her own tribe. Her eyes worried, but her posture hopeful, she awaited Rio's reply. Either way, she'd protect the young one back to their own lands, either after some more exploring or straight back home. She wouldn't let any harm befall her.

In a strange way, Rio perceived qualities of her mother in Yumiko. Perhaps this was not the best thing; trusting another wolf so readily could become a danger to such a young girl. And it was even worse that the swarthy child equated the strange woman's persona to that of her mother. She could more easily fall into any sick traps that possibly awaited her. But she was blissfully unaware of such logic. It was simply nice to meet a (seemingly) kindhearted wolf, one who spoke with firm gentility, a manner not unlike Naniko's. Rio didn't feel badly about her slip-ups - for not being careful - because of the way the sandy-furred woman made her suggestion. The little girl felt better knowing that she need not be sorry.



Another pup, maybe one less pure and forgiving of heart, may have regarded the soft authority Yumiko displayed unwanted and irritating. Rio saw it differently. It was a comfort to her. The girl nodded, though she hadn't ever heard of the fem's pack, AniWaya. "Aniwayi? Anawayee..." She emitted a giggle like the soft chirp of a dove, amused at first. But then she grew sheepish again, and her ears fell slightly to rest against her small skull. Maybe Miss Tsume wouldn't like it that she couldn't say the name of her home right. Luckily, the woman had a proposition: that they continue Rio's task of exploring. She perked up just slightly, though the uncertainty remained. Once something had tainted Rio's affect, it took several minutes for her to recover. It simply a part of her. "Y-yes, Signora Yumiko. Yous can pick where we go, I don't mind." It felt more polite to let the adult chose the path of their little adventure. Danger had not occurred to Rio; no, she was much too innocent, much too trusting of the caring stranger.



Yesh, Rio is in her lupus form. she's too ickle to shift yet. and I don't mind, as long as you don't mind that I'm not exactly reciprocating. *fail* 300+

Don't worry about it XD I just like to write a lot. Also I forgot about her age/shifting.... *double fail*

Word Count: 498

In spite of the chill hanging over them by the unknown female's cold shouldered departure, Yumiko was beginning to truly like little Rio. She'd always loved children of all ages, and she couldn't help but mother them. Perhaps it was the little exposure she'd had to them throughout her life by living with just her family; now, whenever she spotted a pup she instantly wanted to comfort them and help them anyway she could. It might be foolish for many reasons, including helping where no help was needed and even angering protective mothers. However she couldn't help herself. If anyone bothered to pay any attention, they'd see she couldn't possibly mean any harm. She barely even fought to protect herself, let alone harm an innocent baby.

As the dark pup mangled the name of her new tribe, she grinned widely with the most sincere joy she'd ever felt. Her laugh was loud and clear, like tinkling glass, and was easy to hear over the river. It had been ages since she'd been so truly, completely happy. The little girl was so innocent, naive almost, and yet so pure of heart. She just didn't know, and that is always the most entertaining form of amusement. Her laugh was short and sweet, and she finished quickly; a tear came to her eye that she blinked away. "I-I'm sorry! You're just so sweet, I couldn't help it. It's a funny name, isn't it? An-eh-way-ya. See?"

Yumiko shook out her fur from snout to tail, ready to get moving one way or another. Rio seemed to read her mind, as she agreed to explore with her. She just prayed that nothing would happen to the child; she didn't think she could handle it. "Please, just call me Yumiko. As for where to go... um..." Stumped, Yumiko looked around. The river to one side, the forest to the other. That was obvious. Other than that.... "Look at that! I've never seen anything like it! Shall we check it out?" She said happily, pointing with a slender paw towards a tall, rugged pine tree that towered over the rest of the forest. It seemed ancient, like it had been growing for centuries, just biding its time until its almost eternal life had ended.

She headed over towards the trees, light on her feet with the sense of adventure and paused after only a few feet. She looked back at Rio, still waiting behind her as if making a decision. She smiled reassuringly and gestured her head in a You comin'? gesture. Now that they were more comfortable with each other, she had begun to show more of her age instead of being the older, motherly type that Rio probably thought of her. She was only 2 years old, after all; she was just more mature than most and often that was all she showed others. Maybe she'd open up to this innocent pup and she could finally have a true friend.

The girl had never met someone so outstandingly pure of heart. The grown woman's ever present, bright smile was seemingly fighting to dissolve the anxiety that lingered in Rio's tummy, about sad lonely girls who didn't care to speak to anybody, who were too full of sorrow to cope with the presence of others. The little child saw that Yumiko was enjoying herself too; her eyes were sparkling and seemed almost concealed by a thin mist, and instinctively felt warmed by her words. She trusted this canine, even if she shouldn't. At this point, Yumiko would have to be a complete psychopath to harm Rio in any way since she'd so portrayed herself as a gentle woman thus far.



Rio couldn't see why Yumiko would be apologizing. It seemed they were both saying sorry without the other knowing why. This was such a funny thing! They were similar, something to be excited about. It was nice, to have something in common with a complete stranger. "Yo'wr sweet!" she repeated, but it was more than just a child's game. She meant it. Yumiko was sweet. "An, eh, WAY ya!" She wagged her tail, feeling more confident now that she'd pronounced the woman's home correctly.



Her new friend was lost for what they could explore, and Rio followed her gaze, but she also allowed her own to absorb their surroundings. There was the river, but Rio didn't want to go too near it. She was frightened of water. It was a relief to see that the blonde wolf pointed away from the water, to a mighty, gnarled and ancient tree. Rio's pale eyes widened and she giggled, bouncing into step after her companion. Mama and Papa played with her only sometimes, when they weren't too busy. Yumiko's willingness to become playful for Rio was wonderful. "Why is the tree so sad?"



Don't worry about it! 300+

Argh no muse EDIT: yet I wrote that much? :| *didn't realise*

Word Count: 648

A sharp breeze swept over the bank of the river, making Yumiko shiver. Maybe she should have saved exploring for weather more to her liking; nonetheless, she was here now and even had company. Might as well continue on her way. Rio said, in probably the cutest way possible, that she was sweet. Yumiko blinked and both her ears trained on the female. She'd never thought of herself that way before, but unknown to her many others would agree. She just saw herself in a completely different way than the rest of the world, imagining herself to be unnoticable and timid. While it was true she was both things, she also released an aura of 'needing to be protected, loved'. Rio clearly picked up on this aura and connected it to a friend, or maybe even a mother. "Thank you." She said, eyes wide. It would appear that she'd already made a friend, admittedly a very young one.

As Rio pronounced AniWaya correctly at last, Yumiko grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Perfect!" She praised loudly, her tail copying that of the other in a happy beat. She jumped a little, almost anxious to get going. She was glad she was in her favoured form, rather than the obnoxious Optime form that allowed little in the way of speed, or the inbetween form that was too large and bulky to fit through much of the wood. She'd have to be careful not leave the little one behind, lost and alone just because she was eager. After all, even being short her legs were far longer than a pup not even 6 months old.

Rio bounded to join her at last, and Yumiko was feeling a mix of emotions; relieved, overjoyed, and worried. Anything could happen. Shaking her head slightly to clear her mind, she made sure to keep her pace at one easily matched by Rio. It was only a little slower than her usual and she found it easy to keep up. As her companion looked up at the rugged pine, towering above all the other trees, her eyes widened in something close to awe. The older wolf looked up at the tree sadly, almost feeling its sorrow. To her surprise even Rio seemed to notice something sad about the tree, and asked her why it was looked so lonely. Lost for words, Yumiko gazed around her for something that would please the little one without frightening her or anything; she could make up some story but was never very good at that sort of thing.

"Well... the tree is all alone, see?" She pointed her nose towards the empty space in the sky around the ancient being, the other trees feet below it. As she spoke her feet made a path with only a little difficulty, as the snow coated everything and hid shadows to decieve her eyes into believing that the ground was smooth. Other than that the path they chose was relatively clear, with few fallen branches and rocks. "He must be sad he has no family anymore, and all his children are far away." It was almost the truth, too. After all, a tree's pollen spread for miles, and his children were probably not even within sight.

Despite the canopy of empty branches and needles above them, the tree was still obvious to see. It's roots were thick and spread out all the way to the river and all the natural paths formed weaving through the undergrowth seemed to point it's way. She glanced down at Rio, looking closely for a reaction. Maybe she should have said 'of course the tree's not sad, it's just cold' or some silly nonsense like that, meant to appease children. However she couldn't bring herself to lie so blatently to such a pure heart, and what she said was as close to the truth as she could think of.

Also, maybe she isa psychopath >

It seemed Yumiko had detected the young girl's knack for seeing others, truly seeing them. She could sense their auras, the strength of their hearts and whether they would treat her well or not. Of course she always related what she sensed to herself; being young and vulnerable, this was a necessity. Yumiko was one of the kindest wolves she'd yet encountered, and her subconscious wanted the woman to know she saw this plainly. Seeing someone else was not so hard, not such a magical talent of the girl's — anyone could do it, if they paid close attention.



She wished for the woman to be her friend, and she thought that perhaps Yumiko liked her enough to consider her a friend. They headed toward the tree together, and Rio noticed that her companion kept her own pace slow enough to let Rio walk along beside her. That was so nice. She couldn't stop thinking of how much she was enjoying the femme's company. Though she adamantly did not want their time together to end soon, she was excited to tell Mama and Papa and her siblings about Yumiko.



Rio cast a silver-lilac glance toward the lady, capturing in her mind the sorrow she felt, the sorrow of the tree. The girl wanted to know what was making the tree look so very melancholy, and surely her new friend would have an answer. As the fey spoke, Rio watched the tree, inwardly absorbed the empty space surrounding him and making sense of it with Yumiko's words. It made her so very sad to think of. The tree was an old man, confined to solitude, without the ability to see his children or even know where they were. Rio looked at her paws, trying to fight back tears, trying to stop feeling the tree's loneliness and anguish. Lifting her face to look at Yumiko, a tear rolling down her gaunt cheek, the girl moved closer to her friend and leaned against her leg. She would not have done so with another kind of wolf, one who lacked the compassion Rio sensed in Yumiko. The child knew intuitively that the blond wolf would not mind the closeness, wouldn't shy away for discomfort. "Will he always be lonely?" she asked, again searching for the woman's eyes.



I seriously will try to pick up the pace, especially with this thread. I really love your writing, a lot. <3 300+

Thanks so much <3 I honestly love yours too. I think we have a pretty similar style, for the most part o3o

Word Count: 611

As the tree loomed above them and the two small, practically insignifigant wolves stood in its shadow, it seemed as though they were at the end of the world with nothing but this barrier stopping them from tumbling off the very edge. Yumiko hadn't even noticed when she'd stopped walking, but now, gazing down at Rio, it was a good thing they had. Rio lowered her head, and Yumiko's tail drooped sadly as her first though was she had upset her by saying the wrong thing. Yet, she knew that any silly tale would have only confused the pup and made her search for an answer on her own time, maybe even getting into danger. She was incredibly obsevant and empathetic, if not mature for her age and even for any wolf.

The blonde wolf opened her mouth to say something more when the little one raised her face at her with tears shining in her eyes, the pain of the tree clear in their depths, and leaned her cool fur against her leg. Yumiko blinked, surprised that Rio felt that close to her in such a short time, but she put a small portion of her own weight towards the pup as where their fur connected began to spread warmth throughout her leg. She paused, thinking, before managing to lick Rio's forehead affectionately. It wasn't a exactly a sign of love or respect, although both were buried in the gesture, but more of understanding and comfort. Her fur tasted like cinnamon and pine and reminded Yumiko of her childhood.

She looked back up at the tree that was coated in ice and snow; every once in a while a pile would fall from feet up in the air and land nearby as the tree creaked and groaned in the wind. She could feel purplish eyes searching for her own and she looked deep into the soulful eyes she found beneath her own. Will the tree always be lonely? "I think he has more company then he knows." A blonde head turned back towards the trunk of the tree, near the base, and gestured towards a small hole, the lip coated in snow. "Watch carefully," she whispered, knowing what she assumed would happen would happen because her nose never lied.

Before their eyes, skittering out from the safety of the branches and down the open trunk, 3 small squirrels made their way towards the hole in the trunk. One stopped halfway while the others ran with rodent-nervousness into their den, and turned its head to glare fearfully with beady eyes towards the pair of hunters. Sensing no immediate danger and feeling safe in the boughs of the mighty tree, it continued on its path to join its brethern.

Letting out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding, Yumiko smiled softly at the squirrel's den, thankful her nose hadn't let her down at such a time. She'd smelt them crawling around the tree branches, too high up for one as young and small as Rio to notice, and noticed the scent trails leading back to the hole. She gave a gentle shove into the pup's side. In all honesty, she was as relieved to have calmed her own empathetic worries as those of the intuitive little one. Whispering conspiratorially as if it could hear, she said, "He's not most observant tree around." She giggled, as after the squirrels left the forest seemed to straighten up again and the mood around the pair seemed brighter somehow. Now where would they go? She supposed they could... attempt to climb the tree. Or maybe there was some secret tunnel hidden beneath the many roots, leading to an underground cave? She grinned despite herself at the prospect of such an unusual discovery, then glanced out the corner of her eye towards her companion to see how she felt about everything they'd just discovered.

I think I/my characters have a thing for pups. I mean, there's you, Lotus, two 1 year olds, and a 1 month (on a different site). Yeesh. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

She didn't mind the closeness at all. Yumiko felt safe, her leg warm and soft against Rio's face, holding her upright as she fought back the wave of tears. The girl was mature in some ways, but in others she was very immature. It was difficult to control her emotions, so that even the more insignificant of misfortunes could fill her with sorrow. No one really understood it; and of course she didn't, either, and perhaps never would. To her, this trait she carried was ordinary, as it was all she'd known. She hadn't yet taken into account the rarity of such episodes from other wolves. In time, she would.



The warmth of the stranger's skin was sought as almost a gesture of self protection. Rio didn't want to feel badly anymore, and sought the comfort found in a simple touch. The woman's tongue sweeping across her forehead took the girl by surprise, as she hadn't expected to feel such a thing from an infantile friendship. She felt love in her companion's little kiss, and it made her all the more eager to hear the other things she understood about the tree. Rio saw that Yumiko was genuine in nature, and would do her best to explain what she could. At her cue, the small child trained her purple-gray orbs upon the tree, watching, feeling the movement from below. She stared attentively until three squirrels appeared from amongst the tangle of old roots.



A smile bloomed like a spring flower across the girl's face, and she threw an excited glance upward at the Tsume woman, wanting to make sure she saw as well. But her eyes were already there; she'd known about the squirrels before their appearance. Her whisper roused a small giggle from Rio, and she suddenly saw the tree in a different light, a more cheerful one. "At least, he has friends," she said softly, almost in a whisper. How quickly the tawny female had brightened her spirits.



I was thinking the same thing. And grrr, puppies. 300+

Bleh post is bleh.

Word Count: 423

The tree rustled and groaned as a sharp breeze came along and stirred up the snow around the pair of distracted wolves. Both were very empathetic to another's feelings, and often didn't understand why they felt the way they did. Yumiko was always crying as she ate even an insignifigant rabbit, but she knew enough about nature to realise that one way or another, the rabbit's life would have ended, and this way it went to a good cause; her own survival. She'd heard of those... vegetarian wolves, but always found it too extreme. Although, maybe she should consider it.

Rio's small, fuzzy head was warming up her leg and stomach, and the cold now bothered her little. In fact it was almost getting warmer as the sun rose higher in the sky. It was around midday now. Perhaps they should start heading back to their respective borders, or Yumiko could walk the little one safely home to her surely anxious parents.

When Yumiko gazed up at the squirrels, she felt a purple gaze searching her eyes, to make sure she was watching, and couldn't help but smile. As she whispered and Rio replied with a giggle, she realised just how light the atmosphere had become around them. It was like a cloud had moved aside, and the very sun could shine down upon the tree and give it a lively glow that screamed youth. With a flick of her ears, Yumiko said merrily, "It's always good to have someone else, eh? Like for now, at least, we have each other. Right?"

Yumiko said it playfully but her heart was incredibly pleased at the new, surprisingly deep bond the two young girls shared. She leaned back to headbutt Rio's snout playfully, and jumped back in a play-bow. Eyes twinkling, her posture screamed come get me! Her evil plan was to get Rio to chase her all the way back to her own home, or at least a part of the way there. Her logical part of her mind said it was so Rio would have fun and think that the day wasn't really over, but her heart knew it was because she didn't want to say goodbye so soon. Still, she would do it gracefully, and while forcing a promise out of the pup to meet with her again some day. She'd do anything to keep such a powerful friendship as theirs, one that was so meaningful despite having been forged in only a few hours. It was certainly a rare enough thing.

She didn't consciously connect the appearance of the sun and the warming of the atmosphere with the happiness she was beginning to feel. Yumiko had an unassuming way of explaining things so that they made sense to the girl; there was truth in her voice. Rio believed the woman. She had spoken in stark honesty, for her prediction that the tree was not quite alone came true with the appearance of the fuzzy little squirrels. The sable child was developing a deep admiration for the pale tawny wolf.



"Yes," Rio agreed, wagging her tail several times. She was a bit disheartened by the intonnation that their time together was limited. She understood that she could not spend all day with her new friend; the time they'd shared together was precious to her, however, and she didn't want it to end. Their day didn't have to end so immediately, which was very encouraging. Rio laughed joyfully as her nose was assaulted by Yumiko's forehead, pawing upward as the woman drew away again. Her renewed happiness left her energetic and wishing to play. Apparently, her companion felt the same way, moving into a playful stance. The child could not ignore the beckoning shine in the beautiful blue eyes and made a dash toward the larger wolf. She pounced toward a large golden paw with harmless teeth borne. "I'm a get youuu!" she sang as she struck forward, just wanting to play. She had no clue of Yumiko's criminal plan.




This is short, but it's something.

Hope I didn't god-modd anywhere here.... *it's so darn hard to tell* Also I don't know where I'm going with this anymore. Fights/races confuse me sooo much ;_;

Word Count: 226

Yumiko grinned at her friend's lunge towards her paw, and while she could have dodged it with ease the connection was half the fun. If she just tiptoed around her 'opponent', what would be the point? She growled playfully and bared her own larger, more impressive teeth in response to the needle-like fangs Rio proudly displayed. As Rio struck forward again she changed her earlier opinion of letting the strike hit and slid her paw from under the little one's feet. Yumiko laid her own carefully controlled swipe against her opponant's side as she continued to pounce on the empty space where her paw had been, aiming to bat Rio off to the side.

As soon as she made her swipe the femme got out of her play bow and twirled away, flicking her tail at Rio and trotting obnoxiously away. She was getting a little caught up in the fun, but she couldn't care less; fun is fun, right? Plus, they could spend a few minutes fighting before she had teased Rio into chasing her. Maybe something completely different would come up and their day could be extended.

Peeking out of the corner of her eye down at the pup, the blonde female checked to make sure she hadn't accidently batted the kid into the river or something. Hm... she hadn't thought of that. Whoopsies.

A row of scary, pearly teeth surprised Rio, but didn't hinder her attack. Unfortunately, the dark child missed her target of the large paw as it swept smoothly aside; but she wasn't too disappointed. She was never the best in play, being so small, and was used to being overpowered or otherwise thwarted; it was all fun to her. A soft form contacted the the entire side of her body and the force of it knocked her rolling sideways, the chime of a giggle ringing out as she spun and landed upon her belly. "Ouf! You gots me." Before she could say anything more, the woman was up in blur of golden cream, darting off away from the river. Rio did not notice that they were heading in the direction of Phoenix Valley.



The two cavorted in such a way until Rio found herself at the borders of Phoenix Valley. The end of the day was disheartening, as she had not yet enjoyed herself so fully. The conclusion of such fun left her sorrowful, but the positive feelings she'd experienced left her chipper even as her new friend left her to return home as well.