New Beginning, New Acquaintances

Liam Catori · 11-25-2011, 05:08 PM

[html]

I swear I was aiming at a little shorter but... Monster posts are monstrous. ↔ 1619 words

Liam was definitely a mixture of both parents. While he was big and strong like his father, he wasn't mentally cut out to be a warrior. He was too soft, too caring. He had once seen his softness as a terrible thing but after the war his perspective had changed. He was a bit of a mother hen... in a powerful male's body. He didn't want to hurt people – only bring them relief from injuries. He was a healer. He also liked to use his brain to solve complicated puzzles and riddles, which made him all the more ready for the job that would soon be resting solely on his shoulders. His mental abilities were surely inherited from his mother – Ayita could read and write and she was the one who had taught him enough so that he could learn all on his own now with, of course, the help of various books. He was also a leader like his father. He liked to be in control of himself and of situations that affected him. He was good at telling people what to do without seeming like a control freak. He was good enough to not get angry glares from other wolves around him. Or maybe that was just because his father was the King. Either way he didn't really care – the fact that his head was still safely on his shoulders told him no one was thinking of ripping his head off. At least they hadn't done it yet.

Liam smiled. It was interesting to learn more about Soran. She seemed like such a fascinating person with a lifetime of stories to share. Liam wondered if Robin was as amazed by the woman as Liam was. Probably. “Oh yeah?” he said at her words about also having traveled miles and miles to find a home here. He said them to show that he was listening but he knew the words weren't necessary for his expression told it all. He was fixed on the female's every word, his eyes locked on her face. She was looking back at him though and as intimidated as Liam felt – she was so much superior to him and that alone was enough to make someone squirm – he couldn't look away.

Ah, exploring and adventures. That was something Liam loved to do. As a young pup his adventures had been mostly around his home – and then as he grew older it had been around the pack-lands – but nowadays he was traveling further out of the Miracles' territory and every mile he walked was an entirely new adventure. He would never stray too far though. As much as he loved finding new things and discovering new places, he was a family man and he would always find his way back home. Back home to Cour des Miracles. Another way to explore and go on incredible adventures was by reading. You could read words and be pulled into a whole new world! It was always so excited, especially for an imaginative creature such as Liam Catori. “I haven't been too far away from these parts but even with my limited knowledge I can second that.” he said with a smile as he glanced around him at the new surroundings. They were approaching the center of the pack-lands and by now Liam had seen a few other Crimson Dreamers walking about, minding their own business. A few glanced at Liam – being a stranger and all – but with Soran by his side they didn't bother to pay much attention.

Liam nodded somberly when she spoke about the aftermath being time-consuming. Liam missed his father a lot and a lot of pack members were currently busying themselves on the reconstruction of Lunenburg but otherwise the focus was on the up and coming winter months. Gathering food was important and so was making sure the shelters were well built to tolerate the bitter cold and keep the occupants warm. It was safe to say Liam hadn't seen much of the physical trauma of the war lately – the worse was probably in AniWaya – but the war was still fresh on everyone's mind and that was something that would take a long time to deal with. “Well there's always sunshine after a storm so at least we can look forward to that.” Liam said optimistically. And then his more pessimist thoughts: If only we don't get another war to deal with. At least the Aniwayan leader was dead and could no longer stir up trouble. Liam was going to hold onto that and hope for the best.

He had a few friends he considered family – although not as many as Soran probably expected. His pack wasn't very small but it wasn't big either. He knew the members by name and could easily find them in a crowd but he was only close to some of them. His family, of course, and the selected few people he had built a relationship with over time. Robin and Caspa were two faces that stood out in his mind. He also trusted Ayasha with his life... but he hadn't seen her since the war and they had only truly gotten to know each other under those circumstances. He couldn't consider her to be like family because he knew next to nothing about her. Odd how he trusted her so fully when he couldn't really tell what her personality was like. She was brave and a true warrior – maybe a rebel, but definitely one with a cause. “A few people come to mind.” he revealed.

She noticed the smile on Soran's face and wondered who she was thinking about. Did she have a lot of friends that she considered family? A family not bound by blood? He thought about Robin again and wondered who she thought was like family. Was Liam like her family? Like a brother maybe? To be honest that idea felt foreign and unwelcoming. The idea of being like a brother to Robin brought this strange, bitter taste in his mouth. It was just as strange as the butterflies. Just as foreign. “I always thought most packs were really close. Isn't that how it is?” Liam inquired, suddenly curious. By the way she said she was glad that the Court was as close as the Dreamers, it was as though she had been expecting otherwise. Maybe Liam was wrong to think that all packs were like family? But then of course AniWaya sure hadn't been like a family during the war, given some of them had been completely against the leader and his views. But often Liam didn't agree with his siblings or parents but that didn't mean he stopped loving them. Even Robin – if ever they had a disagreement, Liam doubted he would ever stop lo– liking her.

What's wrong? Nothing's wrong. Had she read his mind? His eyes shifted from the sky to the ground to the surroundings. Anywhere but at Soran. Nothing's bothering him... No. Something was. He couldn't lie to himself. A part of him wondered if he should tell Soran about his jumbled feelings. He didn't open his mouth however. He caught sight of the house Soran was leading him towards and used that as an excuse to not talk about 'what was bothering him'. “It's beautiful. Looks a little bit like Chien Hotel back home.” Of course there were very many differences but the two were very tall buildings. They were both structures remaining from the human times.

Liam was glad that Soran found his siblings' birth incredible. He felt the same way. Three new souls that would live incredible lives. And Liam was thrilled to be part of them. He couldn't wait to teach Skoll how to hunt and Hati how to read. He couldn't wait to play with Lottie and protect her from the boys that could potentially break her heart. He was definitely on the road to being an over-protective big brother but he didn't care. He knew his siblings would always love him – just like he would always love them, no matter how annoying they could sometimes be. “I'm sure my mother will be glad to hear about you. She hasn't been out of the pack-lands for a long time and good news of the outside world and her acquaintances will definitely cheer her up.” Of course Soran probably didn't know what Ayita needed cheering up from. Liam had omitted to mention in his sentences about his mother that she had recently lost her brother during the war. 'Mara had been the one to bury him and Liam had been by her side as they spoke of how great and brave Zafier had been.

The house was coming closer and closer with every step and Liam felt his anticipation mount. This was definitely a new adventure. He had never seen the inside of a home in another pack. He was excited to see how they lived and if things were different from his own home. Did they have a fire to cook their food on? And how about carpets and window curtains and beds? Beds were definitely a brilliant human invention. Liam especially liked how he bounced every time he let himself fall on them. As a pup he had taken a liking to jumping up and down on the springy mattress but at over seven feet he would hit his head on the ceiling if he tried it now. “Thank you, I'm sure they will.” Any type of literature was bound to help him, considering how limited his knowledge was.

Login




Remember me Lost Password?