Word Count → 320

Her wounds ached, the raw scars were still forming and often ached when the snow wolf moved. At least she had no fever, and her form was still her own. Amy's attack had left Kiara with terrible scars on her shoulder, belly, and neck; but at least Amy had not infected Kiara with the luperci virus. A few days ago, Kaira's fever had broken and her delusions had subsided. She had been moving as often as possible but her nights were still plagued with nightmares. The days where the she wolf had been bed ridden were over, and Kiara was eager to continue on with her life.

Despite her pain, the arctic wolf had still agreed to watch after young Dalgina and it was a chance Kiara would not give up for the world. Kiara loved puppies, their innocence and happy natures were wonderful and she instinctively felt a strong attraction to them. Kiara also wanted to prove to Jace and the pack, as well as herself, that she could still be useful.

Jace's house soon came into view and Kiara paused momentarily before heading on inside. The door had been cracked just enough for Kiara to push it open, although not without a little difficulty. Finally the door swung in to reveal a small black puppy curled in the center of a wrinkled blanket. A small smile crossed the snow wolf's face as she entered to house, her back leg pushing the door almost completely closed. Kiara feigned ignorance, her white form stepping deliberately over the puppy as her large head swung this way and that. "Now, where did Dalgina go? I was sure she was supposed to be here. Oh Dalgina, where are you?" As she talked, the arctic wolf wandered around the room acting like she was searching for the puppy. All the while, Kiara kept her ear trained on Dalgina to keep track of her location.

Word Count → 232

As Kiara wandered she could hear Dalgina giggling quietly on the blanket. Kiara would have to remember to put the blanket back, or at least somewhere where Dalgina wouldn't get a hold of it. It would be a waste to see Dalgina ruin such a beautiful blanket, plus the Ikusei might get in trouble if Jace came home to find one of her lovely blankets full of rips and tears.

When Kiara's turned her back to the black puppy, she heard the scrambling of paws as Dalgina ran across the ground. The snow wolf turned quickly and managed to get out of the way as Dalgina's small form came flying past her. That stunt would have ended in tears for Kiara if Dalgina had managed to hit her. Kiara watched the puppy for a moment saying, "Your a little too loud to surprise anyone." With that the snow wolf plodded over and began to lick Dalgina while checking the small puppy over for injuries.

After Dalgina's impromptu bath, Kiara stood up again and allowed the puppy some freedom to move around. "Dalgina, did your mom tell you who I am? Or do you think you can guess?" Playtime was always important for a young puppy's growth and development. Just as she had done with Sarain, Kiara would turn everything into a game. These games would strengthen both the Dalgina's body and mind.

Word Count → 373

Their first meeting had started off quite well. Dalgina was very curious about Kiara, her small nose prodded the older wolf's face. All Kiara wanted to do was make sure that Dalgina was okay, she had crashed into the wall after all. Yet it somehow turned into a meet and greet session with their noses. Although, It was a good opportunity for the young puppy to learn Kiara's scent, just as Kiara was learning hers. Scent was an important part of a wolf's life, especially when it was a scent one carried. It would tell others where they had been, whom they were with, and what had transpired since their last meeting. Scent marked wolves as loners, mates, or pack. The Ikusei would be heavy with the scent of Ichika, especially the scents of Shiloh and Sarian. While young Dalgina was heavy with the scents of her family and her home.

Luckily for the injured wolf, Dalgina calmed down a little after her bath. But the young puppy was still full of life and tried to give Kiara an impromptu bath as well. Unfortunately, the black puppy was much smaller than the snow wolf and Dalgina wasn't able to lick Kiara at all. A small chuckle escaped from Kiara, one which she regretted because the spasms hurt her sides. A twinge of pain momentarily crossed her face before a smile once again replaced the grimace.

Olnayni, it was a strange word and its meaning was lost on the snowy wolf. She sat back puzzled a little before finally deciding she liked the word. She would ask someone later what the word meant. "Oh no, you found my secret name!" Kiara said in mocked surprise and distress. "How did you know? Oh great Dalgina, what am I to do now that my secret name had been discovered? Please, don't tell anyone my secret name. Can you do that?" The Ikusei crept closer to Dalgina, whispering in her ear. Kiara looked around, acting like she was afraid someone might be listening to their conversation. "I'll tell you what, when there are other wolves around you call me Kiara. Okay? But when we are alone, you can call me Olnayni. It will be our little secret."

Word Count → 309

The Ikusei watched as Dalgina scuttled over to a large cardboard box. The side had been chewed through, most likely by Dalgina or one of her siblings. However, the lid to the box was open and if the snow wolf craned her neck she could see inside the box. Kiara watched as the young pushed herself through the small opening, her high pitched voice sounding from inside the box and proclaiming it to be a secret. "Wow! What an amazing hiding spot!" The snow wolf rolled her sapphire eyes a little, oh the innocence of the young.

Her attention turned to the blanket that Dalgina was on not to long ago, it's colored patterns still sprawled on the floor in a wrinkled mess. Kiara trotted over and gingerly picked the blanket up with her teeth. The Ikusei dragged the blanket over to the couch with extreme care so as not to damage it or rip it. Kiara reared up on her hind legs and braced herself against the couch's arm as she slowly draped the blanket across its frame. Kiara examined her handy work and walked over to tug the blanket in a few spots so that it appeared neater.

Now that they had played a little it was time to get more serious. Kiara had a job to do and one thing she needed to do was prepare Dalgina for Lá Saoire Na Mairbh. It was one of Ichika's more serious traditions and the ideas had be given to Dalgina in a gentle manner. If the Ikusei's explanation was too complicated, Dalgina would only become confused. If her explanation was too simple, Dalgina might miss the concept or misinterpret the lesson. First, Kiara needed to find out how much the puppy knew. She turned back to the black puppy, "Dalgian, do you know about what is happening tomorrow?"

Word Count → 334

When Kiara turned to face the puppy, she was confronted with sadness. It seemed as if Dalgina had really liked where the blanket had been. But it was important that the blanket was not damaged, a concept Kiara was sure Dalgina did not understand. The Ikusei almost apologized, but she held her tongue instead. Lessons needed to be taught, even if they were hard sometimes. Everything had place and Dalgina could not chew on anything she saw fit.

Kiara sat down, wondering how she should address the topic of Lá Saoire Na Mairbh. Not to mention Kiara did not know what talnala meant therefore she had no way of knowing how much Dalgina knew. "You see Dalgina, you are not wrong. It is a big celebration, it is very big. But it is also very serious. Tomorrow is a day known as Lá Saoire Na Mairbh. It is a day when... well... when you, how do I say this..." Kiara paused, not sure how to really explain what a sin was or more importantly what repentance was. Not to mention how these somber concepts could actually be a good thing. As the snow wolf thought her head tilted to the side. Finally she spoke again. "Dalgina, have you ever done something bad. Something that your mom and dad scolded you for? Well tomorrow is a day where you say your sorry to everyone you did bad things to. That way, when the day is done everyone can forgive you and you can start anew. This does not mean you should do bad things, it just means that you are forgiven for the bad things you might have done and you have to promise not to do them again Do you understand."

Her explanation was long, but the Ikusei hoped it wasn't too complicated. Hopefully, Dalgina would understand and Kiara would not have to explain it again. But Dalgina was still young and there was a chance she didn't understand a word Kiara had said.

Word Count → 257

As the Ikusei, it was her job to teach the puppies of Ichika. A daunting task really, especially because Kiara was so unfamiliar with the ways of the Ichikans. She tried her best to learn everything she could, yet there were still many holes in her understanding. Kiara looked down at the black puppy and wondered if Dalgina really understood the meaning of her words. This could only be found out when Dalgina participated in the events. Hopefully, Kiara had done a good job and Dalgina would at least give the somber respect the festival deserved.

With that out of the way, and her main project for the day taken care of surprisingly quickly, it was time turn back to play time. Dalgina was still small, so at least some mild wrestling shouldn't be too tough to handle. A small, mischievous smile crossed Kiara's face. Her long incisors just barely showing and her sapphire eyes twinkling with excitement. The snow wolf began to circle Dalgina slowly, her paws treading silently on the ground. Her snowy ears were cocked forward, and her tail was wagging slightly. "Oh, you understand do you." With a playful growl, the snow wolf carefully pounced towards Dalgina. Her aim was to land with Dalgina squarely between her front legs so that she would be close enough to use her jaws to flip the puppy over. From there, she would playfully nip at Dalgian's stomach until she managed to get away. If Dalgina was able to avoid her pounce, then Kiara would chase Dalgina.

Honrin can join in on the fun.

Word Count → 319

It was funny to see the small puppy tip over her own to feet. Dalgina's paws her especially large, meaning she would most likely grow up to be bigger than Kiara. Even for arctic wolves, Kiara was small, so her puppy tripping days had ended quickly. The snow wolf looked forward to see how big Dalgina would grow up to be and was happy she would be there to watch over the puppy. For Kiara, it was a great honor to be chosen as the Ikusei and she felt there was nothing more important than watching over puppies like Dalgina and Sarian.

For the huntress, catching one black puppy was easy. Although Dalgina had tried to run away, Kiara managed to grab her and turn her over. Dalgina began to howl with laughter and her small feet pounded against the air, occasionally catching Kiara in the face. It didn't hurt, the black puppy was too young to have a lot of power behind her kicks. To her, it was a lot like a fly bumping into her face. Despite Dalgina's cries for the tickling to stop, Kiara continued to torment the puppy until she wiggled free. By that time, both canines were laughing.

Kiara watched as Dalgina jumped and danced around in her clumsy fashion. There were many times when the snow wolf tried to catch Dalgina, but each time she managed to slip past. Eventually, the ebony puppy managed to slip under Kaira's belly and pounce at her feet. Although the impact made her stumble, it wasn't really enough to take the snow wolf down. Still, this was playtime and it would be no fun if only Dalgina had been captured. So with a cry, Kiara toppled over her wounds hurting a little from the fall. With a great opmh and some dramatized pain, the snow wolf closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue to play dead.

OOC here.

Word Count → 260

The snow wolf nearly yelped in pain as Dalgina climbed on top of her. The black puppies claws dug into Kiara's wounds and irritated the sensitive skin. It was only due to Kiara's strength of will that she managed to avoid moving. Dalgina's weight didn't really bother the adult wolf so she relaxed when the puppy sat down on her. Kiara could feel the small puppy shift her weight and wondered what was up. A new threat arose when Dalgina scrambled down and nudged the alabaster woman's head. Laughter now threatened to overcome Kiara as she envisioned what the ebony puppy might be thinking. Kiara let her mouth hand open and hoped she wasn't drooling on the floor. With Dalgina so close to her head the snow wolf had to hold her breath. She only started again when Dalgina moved away.

Kiara only dared to lift her head a little and open her sapphire eyes just a crack as Dalgina cried the name of her brother and rushed over to his hiding spot. Although the white wolf knew he was in the house she hadn't spotted him and had assumed he was asleep with the rest of his siblings. She was surprised to see the small puppy sitting so still. Kiara stared at Honrin for a second and then winked at him before putting her head down. She managed to move back into position just before Dalgina turned her head around. The game was too much fun for her to end it now and hopefully Honrin wouldn't give her away.

OOC here.

Word Count → 397

Kiara had to work very hard to stop herself from laughing. It was an innocent, and fairly funny game. Playing dead was something Kiara remembered fondly from her own puppyhood and she believed that Jace's children would take the game the same way. Time passed slowly by and the arctic wolf waited for the most appropriate time to reveal herself to Dalgina as something other than a corpse. However, the reaction Kiara was greeted with by Hornin was not something she was expecting.

Pain. Kiara cried out as her sensitive stomach was attacked by Hornin's small body. The impact caused part of the skin to split slightly and allowed a few beads of blood gather in the center of the spiral. For several agonizing seconds she couldn't move, only sit in a huddled ball and bite back her whimpers. Slowly, but surely, the snow wolf uncoiled herself and with shaking limbs she stood. Kiara turned her sapphire eyes and saw the little white dog showing dominance toward her. His tail and heckles were raised. If Hornin had been older, or even of the same rank as her, Kiara would have backed off in submission. But the white puppy was neither, and needed to be taught the proper way of handling situations.

It was a rare moment when ever the alabaster woman displayed dominance, and even rarer when she enforced it. Unfortunately the situation called for it. Kiara too raised her tail high, and swallowed slightly as she raised her heckles and bared her fangs. Kiara was much bigger than Hornin and her display was much more impressive. Slowly the snow wolf moved, she lightly grabbed the white puppy and pushed him to the floor, where he would stay for several minutes until Kiara was satisfied that he had submitted to her.

Despite her ferocious demeanor, the white wolf was careful not to harm Hornin. That was the last thing she wanted. Finally, after what seemed like an agonizing eternity, Kiara released him. The older wolf stepped back, although her teeth were no longer showing and her heckles had lowered, Kiara still kept her tail raised and her ears high. She stared at the small puppy and looked him straight in the eye. "Hornin, sit. Dalgian you too. Come here. This is a lesson you both need to learn. Hornin, can you tell me why I am mad?"