12-03-2011, 11:36 AM
HERP I did not realize you were waiting on me! I hope this okay! (Word count: 423)
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[/html] Claudius hadn't meant to follow her; really. But he'd noticed her making her way through the lands near his cave and was curious where she was headed. He knew that most AniWayans preferred to live in the centre of town and he was likely the odd one out living in his family's cave much farther south. Although AniWayan tradition favoured the optime form and his home favoured the lupus, he couldn't bring himself to leave. So, when he noticed her ambling through the area, he at first ignored it, but later decided to try and catch up with her to say hello. He had spoken with Ulilohi much in the final days of his occupation of the tribe, but didn't know her as well as he would have liked. He had known Dawali well and had trusted him whereas this was a woman straight from the Great Tribe. He couldn't help but feel bitter about the entire ordeal. He felt bad about it and wanted to get to know her better.[/html]
He started off after her, trailing behind in his optime form. He knew that shifting into another form would just waste time -- and besides, she wasn't that far away.
He caught up to her just in time to hear her begin to speak with another canine. Curious, Claudius jogged closer. The voice sounded familiar and the scent, too. At first he didn't want to believe it, but soon enough accepted that his cousin had returned.
Claudius wasn't sure if he should smile or not, so he settled for a friendly wag of his tail. As he drew closer, he heard Ulilohi ask Anatole for the names of his cousins, and then add that AniWaya had changed much in the last six months. Claudius would agree.
Not wanting to startle anyone, Claudius approached slowly and cautiously. He let out a low, quiet bark to greet them.
"I'm h-i-i-is cou-ousin," Claudius stated quietly. He glanced at Ulilohi with a respectful dip of his head. He knew that he now ranked lower than her, but he felt so awkward about it. He didn't want to be rude, but sometime during the course of the war, he had discovered he had pride and that was a difficult thing to let go. But instinct overruled and he stared at the ground for a moment before he glanced at his cousin. "H-e-e-e wa-as born... here," he added. Like me. [html]