A simple game of cat & mouse

Mati Church · 03-09-2011, 11:49 AM

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Tony Smile

It was odd, but the woman was on all four paws. She looked at the hole in the wall, sniffing at it and then leaned her ear on the old drywall. There was a mouse. She had seen it, and found it weird that a mouse would decide to reside here with so many predators about. But then again they were not cats, and Mati didn’t know how the felines were so famous for catching these small creatures. It was impossible to catch them in the act and the sneaky creatures hid in the smallest of places

It had all started in her room, sitting quietly alone and drawing what she could remember of spring. A noise had taken her attention from the paper and pencil and purple eyes looked up with a creased brow and searched the room for the cause. And there it was, sitting on her table, its ears swiveling and teeth munching on the long handle of a thin paintbrush. The female felt her jaw fall slowly, shocked and appalled that a precious brush was being assaulted so. It had taken many months for her to gather all her supplies, and brushes were rare and as valuable as gold to the artist.

Mati had chased the mouse to this place in the hallway, changing to her lupus form and waiting outside the small hole like as if the mouse would reappear and apologize for being so rude. The Church female sighed with a frown, and sat and wondered how to keep the rest of her wooden handled brushes safe.

Tony Marino-Knight · 03-10-2011, 09:58 PM

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Tony's days of confinement in the manor had only just begun. He had been firmly grounded--forbidden from leaving the house, as he learned--when he returned with Mati, Parker, and Cypress, his mother and father fawning over him for a brief moment before scolding him more harshly than Mati had had time to do. He found himself bored, often, and occasionly playing with Lorenzo or Fia were his only reprieves. But he would not chain them as he himself was chained, and so he did not guilt them into remaining in their home. Tony was growing into such the age where he could differentiate between right and wrong fully, as well as some of the tougher emotions. No longer were the lines as blurred as before, nor as black and white. Still, knowing why he was punished didn't mean that he had to like the punishment.

During one of his earlier mornings, Tony had begrudginly awoken to loud pounding noises that he could only assume were the sounds of someone jumping or running around the old halls. He had stretched and made to find out what the comotion was all about, the prospect of something even marginally interesting enough to tempt him from lazing about all the day long. He was not half surprised to see that the only other one up and as possibly active to make the noise was Mati, sitting in front of one of the walls, staring at it. "What'cha doing, Mati?" he asked, plopping himself next to her. He could tell that she wasn't entirely happy with something, although he didn't know exactly what. "Why're you staring at the wall?"

Guardian walks. "Guardian talks." Guardian thinks.

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Mati Church · 03-12-2011, 01:01 PM

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Big Grin

When they had returned from their adventure out in the storm Mati had focused on reuniting with Cambira. She had left the others in the hands of their mothers, and the pack's other healer Amata. Mati had simply needed to be beside her mate until the fears of loosing her had subsided. The days after wards had been filled with fighting the fear that if she left the Manor something else would go wrong. She had kept to herself, and this was the first time she had seen Tony since their return.

He came up next to her, but it wasn't until he spoke that she noticed he had even approached her. She looked to her side, her eyes widened slightly and her heart skipping a beat. She hoped that she hadn't grown fearful since their outing in the storm, but her heart pattered normally after a passing second and she overcame her slight surprise easily. What was she doing? The question made her wonder herself. She wouldn't find this mouse no matter how hard she tried. But still she gave a huff, looked back to the wall and spoke, There's a mouse in the wall. It ate one of my paint brushes. She explained flatly.

Mati returned her gaze to the pup, he seemed discontent and lacking the energy that a puppy should have. They seemed to have the same attitude. What are you doing? She asked, her voice in the same tone as the younger male.

Tony Marino-Knight · 03-22-2011, 09:31 PM

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:3

Tony wrinkled his nose in distaste for hearing of the mouse's choice of repast. When he was younger, and still exploring the confines of the mansion only, he had gotten himself into Mati's quarters and art supplies without her knowing. He had not touched the paint--even he had known that if he got it on himself he would be easily caught--and so he had stuck to playing with the drier, less obvious things. The brushes had been one such object. The bristles at the end had tickled his nose and had smelled odd to him. He remembered a dry, acrid taste, reminiscent of the paint that had coated them once. Needless to say it had been a less-than-appetizing flavor, and had repelled him from the brushes since. If Mati had found her supplies a little more scattered yet perfectly in shape than before, she had not noticed nor told his parents.

"Wandering," he said simply. "Mom and Dad said that I can't leave the mansion for a few more days, and I'm bored," he whined, although it sounded more like a prolonged murmur of dissatisfaction. Not so selfish as before, though, Tony could see a visible change in his cousin. He did not remember her as being quite so melancholy, and after all that hub-bub, he had assumed that perhaps she was in the right straits to be. Apparantly not. "Is there any way to get to the mouse?" More than just for passing the time, perhaps he could be of use to Mati, since she had been so protective of him during their entrapment at the caves. He remembered hearing the howling winds, not knowing just how dire their situation was. All he could recall being afraid of was the cold, since his fur hadn't grown in fully at that point. He remembered cuddling between his cousins, reliving the near-fatal accident in the pond in a dream before they were able to return to the mansion. He remembered not wanting to feel afraid...

Guardian walks. "Guardian talks." Guardian thinks.

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Mati Church · 04-01-2011, 12:33 PM

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Mati understood why the parents would wish for him to stay inside with the rest of the pack. It would be a scary thing, she could imagine at least, to have thought a child was lost. It was the scariest thing of all. Tony had been returned to them, it was only natural that they want to keep him safe until their traumatized hearts were no longer enthralled in the woes of shock. The woman simply understood his mindset and gave a nod in agreement. Yeah, I have been too. In one way or another she was. But then, there was still so much to do around the Manor. They were boring tasks, maintenance that she didn't have the patience or energy to begin to work on.

At the boys question she shook her head hopelessly. Nope, just have to wait to see if it comes out again. Mati let out a sigh, aggravation and frustration leaving her tired and agitated. The lupus formed woman stood, feeling the stretch of her muscles and then looked at the pup, You wanna see something cool? She turned away from the wall, forgetting the mouse for a moment and looked to the fireplace where a fire had been built in the morning hours.

Above the mantel sat the spear, its mended shaft decorated with red feathers and paint. Her mother had received it from a member of the AniWaya tribe as a sign of their friendship.

Tony Marino-Knight · 04-02-2011, 10:36 PM

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Mati sounded just as dejected as he did when he had answered her, and Tony didn't have much to say to that other than a characteristic retort. "But you can paint. I have to wait another stupid month till I can ever shift..." In truth, Tony found himself envious of the girl's talent. Not that he wanted to be artist or anything, but he mostly admired that she could entertain herself and take her time with it. In truth, he just hadn't seen what it took to be a real warrior just yet.

Tony quirked his head again at the wall, a bit frustrated despite himself, at the knowledge that they couldn't catch the culprit at the very least. But Mati changed the subject very quickly, as if there were a switch someone had flicked, and turned around to go elsewhere. Without much else to do Tony followed, intrigued by the moon swing if not the mention of the word 'cool'. Mati then led him to the fireplace and looked directly at the spear hanging above it, something that, to Tony's knowledge, had always been there. "Yeah...? What about it?" Not that he didn't find the weapon cool--on the contrary, he would happily wield something of the like, if perhaps with a little more blade--but he failed to see the significance of that particular weapon, since it had never been explained to him.

Guardian walks. "Guardian talks." Guardian thinks.

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Mati Church · 04-05-2011, 12:43 PM

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Mati remember the days where she had been confined in her lupus form, back then she hadn't minded at all. The woman had been scared of the change when she was a young girl, and her very first shift had been painful and frightening. But Tony seemed to look forward to it, as he should. It wasn't something to be frightened of, and the use of various forms was convenient and exciting. But, sadly Mati had lost the luster that came with the shift and she had forgotten how special it was till Tony reminded her. Sometimes, I find it hard to paint. Like I lost my inspiration. Muse and inspiration were much more complicated then Mati thought right to try to explain to the pup. But, they were lost to her now. Her thoughts cluttered and distracted by the presence of the nasty mouse.

The woman didn't understand the pup's lack of awe. If nothing else it was a weapon, didn't boys like those? He didn't think it was interesting? It was made by a AniWaya tribesman, he gave it to my mother Anu as a symbol of the peace between the two packs. She explained, shifting to her lupus form so that she could grasp the spear and bring it down to the pup's eye level.

Tony Marino-Knight · 04-13-2011, 10:28 PM

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Late-and-sleepy-derp >.<

With unveiled interest Tony stood so that he could more closely inspect the spear from AniWaya, as Mati had explained. Seen closer, it was more intriguing than way up on the mantel, where he could only glimpse it from an angle if he tried. The shaft was long and smooth, the spearhead tied off with wraps of leather to keep it firm. Of course, Tony didn't know these terms, but could only look at it with the wish to be able to wield it. "Were we ever at war with AniWaya?" he asked, his mind connecting 'peace' with the implication that the two had once been at ends with each other. The young pup, ignorant of the full consequences of many things, wished for battles and glory and the chance to prove his worth. If there was even the slightest chance that it could happen, he would jump at it.

Bringing his face in closer to the spear again, Tony sniffed at it, trying to find any foreign scents still on the weapon, but was disappointed to find that it had sat so long atop the musty fireplace that any smells that may have come from AniWayan were far too gone or obscured. I'll explore when I'm older, he thought to himself, more as an excuse so that he would not become impatient and one-track-minded on the issue. "Were you ever in a fight, Mati?" Alright, perhaps the pup was one-track-minded to begin with. But his larger cousin, despite her temperament, could be hiding secrets, and Tony quite honestly did not have the tact common in older wolves, hence his straightforward questions. But the reason why he really wanted to know was because, when he went after his chosen duty, he wanted all the teachers he could find. Of course Dad's enough, he thought with a swell of pride for his father, but the more the better!

Guardian walks. "Guardian talks." Guardian thinks.

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Mati Church · 04-21-2011, 09:26 AM

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300+

Mati knew that there were things that pups should know, and things that were simply to mature for them to need to know. But she thought that Tony would benefit from understanding the ties that had been made between their pack and the tribe. It had not been hard for Anu to make them, but they were important anyhow. Mati held the spear, feeling the weight and slightly surprised by it. It was lighter then she had thought it to be, but still held substance and she figured that after enough time marching through any territory it would become heavy.

Tony's question was a valid one, but Mati was still slightly surprised by it. The Dreamers had never been at war with anyone. They were dedicated to a lifelong reign of peace. She shook her head lightly, No, our pack has always lived in peace with the others in the area. That did not mean they didn't know of the dangers beyond their borders, simply that they had chosen to remain neutral. But it is important to form bonds with the other packs, to show that we are friendly. Politics were not Mati's main focus in life, but she saw the necessity in them.

His next question made the woman stop in her train of thought. She shook her head, a little harder now, and said a simple, No to begin her answer. She hadn't been in a fight, not in one where she was able to fight back as she assumed the puppy meant. But she did have scars, beneath the fur on her wrists and arms. From an attack more then a fight. I am not much of a warrior. She admitted with a small smile. Do you want to be one when you grow up? Mati had a feeling the boy wished to follow in his fathers paw steps.

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