[html] ![[Image: ooc-1.jpg]](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh154/emotasticpickles/ooc-1.jpg) my posts suck todayyy :[
It seemed like ages had past since she had last come here, instead of a day or two. Ember had passed through this part of the territory when she'd first come to these new lands...and she had been thinking about going back to walk through them again now that she knew her way around a little more. She had the security of a pack, so she felt all right with leaving for a little while to explore. She could find her way back to the Glen easily. The woods turned to beaches and she approached the water, dipping a paw in. The water was salty, and not suitable for drinking, but good enough for washing. She wanted to look like a pack wolf, not like a loner any more. The young female sank down into the water, dipping her head under. A freshwater bath would have been better, but this was the only place she had been to so far, besides her own pack territory. She wasn't sure where else to look.
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mine too ya know...
ic-
Iskata was still cold and bitter, but right now she wasn't out to blame everyone else.. she just wanted answers why and she knew theywould never come. She'd left Laruku in the middle of the woods she'd found him and had just drifted across the lands not really thinking what she was doing or where she was going. two days had passed since she'd left the smells of the decaying forest, but she wasn't really sure if she remembered those days. She just wanted her happy ending back, but she knew she couldn't glue all the pieces together, because no matter how she tried it wouldn't be the same again. She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment before actually opening them, really opening them for the first time.
The first thing she saw was the ocean before her, the scents of the sea swelling around her as she tried to gage which way might take her back to her deep dark forest where happiness didn't matter, she finally gave up trying to figure it out and just walked on down the shore. The winds whipping across her pelt brought all sorts of scents to her, but one of the ones that caught her attention almost made her sob as she jerked her head up and looked around.
She would know that scent anywhere, the scent of her own child. No sight of another anywhere and yet she stretched her legs out as she scattered sand and shells up on the shore, the words torn from her maw as she yelled. Ember! She didn't want to believe, she didn't want to get her hope up.. but she couldn't stop herself. She wanted her world back.. and just one small piece, though it would never be enough, she'd take.
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She was still thin, and her fur hung on her frame as she pulled herself up out of the water. Shaking made things a little bit better, and she felt warmer as the bright sun shone down onto her. She couldn't wait until summertime, when all the dead flowers here would bloom into new ones--she'd revisit the sunflower fields to see the change. It wasn't like she didn't have the time, now. Ember had no idea where Phoenix was, whether he had left before the fire or had gotten caught up in it. Or if he'd made it here. She was getting used to the idea that she might not see a lot of her family for a while. At least, not family members that she had known from the lands before. She was meeting some people, like Melisande, that she hadn't known she had ties to. A screech from the South made her start, her bright eyes tracing along the landscape that lay before her. Sand and pebbles were whipped up into the air by the wind, making it hard to see for a few moments. When it cleared she could see the figure running toward her more clearly. The sight completely shocked her--Iskata was the last person she'd expected to find here, especially after her week of wandering through the old, burnt territories. She'd thought her mother would come there, if anywhere, and had waited for a little while. "Mom! Momm!!!!" There was too much space between them--she was too far away. Ember began running, willing her legs to pump faster and faster as she headed toward her mother. When she finally reached her she was panting, her tail whipping back and forth in an excited blur, paws prancing. "I knew you would come back! I knew it!!"
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There were tears in her eyes when the two of them seemed to crash together. She was laughing and crying at the same time and she didn't even care. She pressed her muzzle into the damp fur of her daughter and just laughed through the tears, trying to catch her breath to even try and explain everything.. or even to just get one word in. Baby, baby.. she whispered through her laughter and tears as she shook her head and felt her entire body tremble from the excitement of it all.
Her tail was beating a thousand miles a minute as she spoke up. Praising her daughter and trying to sooth her just the same. You're so big now.. You really didn't think I'd abandoned you did you? I'd have never left if I hadn't meant to come back! Ember knew exactly why her mother had left, but here she was in these new lands empty handed, no Firefly, no DaVinci.. no nothing. Then again though, she hadn't expected Phoenix to tell their children that she was going to try and bring DaVinci home too.. She knew how her mate had felt about her firstborn son. None of it mattered now though, not that it ever did to her. She had one of her babies back.
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She had never been so excited about something in her entire life. Ember really had no idea what had happened to Phoenix, so if her mother had news she would definitely want to hear it. She had been wondering about Firefly for ages, now, wondering when her sister would be returning to them...but she'd ended up giving up hope, at least for now. That was what she'd been doing in the week or so before the fire...looking. It seemed that whenever someone in the family dissapeared all the others went out to look for them, no matter what. That was okay with her. It meant that he family was strong--that they all cared for each other. It was like during a battle. You don't leave anyone behind. Ember hadn't been left behind in the fire, she'd come back when she had seen the smoke on the horizon, towards the lands. But by the time she had actually gotten there, around a day later, the lands had already been wiped out. She didn't know what to think about Davinci. She'd heard that she had an older brother, but she'd never seen him...so she wasn't so sure about him. She usually just listend to whatever Phoenix told her...but he had been so sick during the winter that she'd had to stay away from him sometimes. She hadn't wanted to make him worse. She felt bad because she was so wet, still, but she didn't want to shake it all off either, and get her mother wet. She didn't really mind, but she didn't want to get Iskata wet. "I knew you said you were coming back, but sometimes people don't always come back..." She explained. "Like Sun. I always thought she would come back" Maybe she would, someday. "I'm so, so so so glad! We can be together, and I can show you all the really neat stuff I'm learning. Tristan's teaching me these hunting techniques--man, they'd blow your mind! I can't believe he can think of stuff that complex! Oh! I live in a pack--Labryinth Glen. With cousin Melisande and Fatin and Tristan!
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Iskata's daughter was so filled with joy and excitement that it was hard for Iskata to even focus on what was going on and the problems at hand. She didn't want to be the one to bring the bad news when she'd just found her daughter, but she wouldn't lie to her children either, though it was always a possibility to say nothing at all. She stood back a moment to look at her daughter as she babbled on about her mother's return while the whole time a grin stayed plastered on her maw. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed her other children while she'd been trying to find DaVinci and Firefly. It didn't really surprise her, she loved her children, but she hadn't realized how much, or how much it hurt that she'd had to leave them so early in their lives.
She laughed, a soft sound like the melody of a songbird. Ember! Slow down girl, you're a million miles ahead of yourself! She was also surprised by what her daughter had said. It seemed with the purging of the fire many of the Sadira clan had returned out of the woodwork, perhaps the territory their old packs resided in wasn't the only lands that had disappeared in the flames. Your cousin isn't the only one of our large clan that's returned, it seems there's quite a few of my family that's reappeared! There's a lot of cousins out there for you now... Maybe you'll met them later. Cercelee and Mew, Anka.. and Laruku and Naniko made it too! It didn't really hit her that her daughter might not have ever met Laruku or Naniko, but Iskata had talked about their family enough when they were little. Stories of the Clouded Tears pack and their grandmother and aunts, uncles, great aunts and all the adopted siblings everywhere. There were always stories in the Sadira clan, and though Ember held her father's name she was still a Sadira too.
Iskata took a deep breath and smiled at her daughter before she continued, sharing her own good news from her adventures. ..And you have a new sister too, though she won't be here for a while. I never knew your older sister had survived so long ago when we were thrown into the sea.. DaVinci and Firefly had set off to find her together. Firefly had followed him when he'd come to tell her goodbye when you guys were little... They're off having some childhood adventure together before coming home. She shook her head and smiled sadly at the thought. Iskata had wanted to go with her three children overseas, but she'd still had family left behind in Storm, but now she wasn't so sure. A troubled look swept across her face as she debated mentioning Phoenix to the young girl.
She gave up and pressed her muzzle into her daughter's wet fur again as she decided to just wait. Ember hadn't asked about her father yet anyway, she didn't have to know.. not until she wanted to.
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She did know the names of a lot of the members of the family, but names only did so much. She forgot them sometimes, after a while. To her, family also meant friends that you cared a lot about...so she was always adding more and more people to her list of family. It did make her happy to know that more of them had made it out, though--that meant more support. "Really? I did know Laruku...but I don't remember Mew or Cercelee. And Naniko? I know her! She came and helped Dad when he was really sick. But I think that Dad tried to do too much too fast...before I left, he was sick again."He should have just relaxed, and not tried to get up as much. Pilot could have handled things...Pilot was a great leader. That thought made her speak again. "Have you seen Pilot or Dad?" At the news of her new older sister, Davinci, and Firefly, she gasped. "Really? You mean it? It's not fair...that they wouldn't come back yet. If they wanted adventures they could have found some here, with us." She wasn't mad, exactly, but a little upset. She'd stayed here almost the entire time, after all.
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She smiled at her daughter's excitement and general joy at all the news, but sooner than later it seemed she had to drop her smile and sit quiet. She let her daughter go on and on about all the teenage trivial things, how unfair it was, little bits of jealousy over her siblings adventure, but when she stopped Iskata knew she couldn't remain quiet forever. She shifted away from her daughter to stare at her. She didn't know what really to say. She'd found Pilot yet, but Phoenix had been found and disappeared again. What could you really say in a moment like this.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, stalling, buying time for what she didn't want to say. Finally she gave up and bowed her head. I found Pilot, he's helped start a new pack along the mountain.. and I've heard from your father as well. She shook her head and swallowed against the lump in her throat. I'm not sure if he's coming back baby... He did make it out of the fire, but he disappeared again shortly after. Skoll thought he was going to look for you guys... Iskata trailed off there. She wasn't as sure as her yellowed gold hued friend. Phoenix wouldn't have left the area to look for them first. He'd have searched the surrounding areas before venturing back across the wasted burn lands.
She looked up at her daughter again with a sad smile on her face as she studied her. Ember had always been daddy's girl. He may still comeback... The could all hope, but Iskata wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure if she could live off the fumes of hope any longer.
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She was more of a pack wolf than a loner, but wasn't sure if her mother felt the same way. "You don't want to join up with a pack, do you? We could be together" Now that they'd found each other, it would be hard for her to go back to Labrynth Glen knowing that Iskata was out here alone. "Or maybe visit?" She didn't want to lose her again. "Maybe I'll find Pilot soon--since he's around" That definitely excited her. Wherever Pilot was Dierdre would be, surely! That was two members that she knew, two more friendly faces. The news about Phoenix made her wilt a little, ears going down. "I...maybe he was looking for me. I left...to look for you for a little while, but I came back when I saw all the smoke. Everything was already burnt, but I wandered around there for a while" She swallowed, frowning. "I just...I hope he comes back. I can't imagine living without him--it wouldn't be the same. It's really hard.."
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[html] Fire after they hunt something? It'd make sense 
She must have done something wrong--that was the only thing that could have happened. Surely Phoenix would have returned by now if he was coming back. But at the same time, she knew that he might return someday. Iskata had, after all. "I hope so." Her stomach growled a little, and she wagged her tail a little. "I'm a little hungry--maybe we could try hunting something"
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[html] Finals and graduation = sucking the life out of me D: <3!!
She'd had one hunting lesson so far, with Tristan, and they'd talked about the impotance of not overhunting. If you hunted one species for too long it wouldn't give them enough time to bounce back from it, to breed and make more of themselves. It made sense. Ember hadn't really thought about animals needing to repopulate...they'd always just been there for her to hunt. She didn't have a whole lot of experience with hunting, so she followed Iskata quietly, watching her. "What do you think we can catch? Maybe some rabbits?" Rabbits bounced back really quickly.
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As they padded towards the woods Iskata smiled at her daughter's excitement. She nodded as she asked about what they might catch before she spoke up. "Rabbits can be found in the woods, but we'd have better luck on the field that borders the woods if that's what you want to catch. Do you know how to stalk up on rabbits?" she asked before turning back to scan the edge of the woods, listening for the sounds of prey on the move.
She caught the sound of some small creatures, not even worth bothering with, the sounds of mice she thought. She could scent rabbit in the area as well as hear the calls of squirrels and birds in the trees. She crouched down as she saw a rabbit ahead in the distance. They were still quite a ways away, which was good for them. "There's many different ways of stalking prey, depending on what you're trying to catch. You can't sneak up on a bird the same as you would a rabbit, the same goes for squirrels. You have to learn about your prey before hunting them. What's one thing you'd have to put thought into about hunting rabbits?" she asked her daughter as they sat crouched down in the grass watching the rabbit nibbling at the new growth on a bush a few hundred yards away. Iskata watched the long ears twitch to and fro catching sounds, unaware of them sitting in plain sight watching it.
She was sheltering her daughter from the rabbits view for the most part, but she whispered another bit of information as she moved forward a bit at a time towards the rabbit. "Remember to use your pelt colors to your advantage.. I blend in with the fields and meadow, so hunting in open spaces is easier for me. Your darker pelt would make it so easy for you to sneak up on prey in the woods with so many shadows everywhere." She smiled to her daughter before winking.
"Now watch this.." she said as she began to creep forward, keeping her weight light off her forelegs and in her haunches. Sneaking forward she was quiet as a mouse slowly but surely moving through the grasses as she approached the unsuspecting rabbit. The closer she got the more the rabbit seemed to become away that something was wrong. One last time the small creature lifted it's head from it's meal and looked about, sadly for the bunny it looked away from the silver and gold wolf.
In a flash Iskata had moved from her stalking pose and like lightning she was racing towards the rabbit. Turning around to late the creature realized what was upon her. Getting a small chase on the wolf the rabbit fled away with Iskata right on it's tail. It only got a few dozen yards before Iskata finally caught the helpless rabbit between her paws and quickly administered the death bite. Picking her head up she began to return to her daughter with the fresh prey between her jaws.
[html] I graduate tomorrow!
Her mother knew so much about hunting! Ember tried to jot it all down in her head, but some of it she knew she wouldn't remember. This was a really good first lesson--she and Tristan hadn't really put any of their lessons into action just yet. But in the meantime, she'd been trying to learn some on her own, hunting for prey that she thought she could catch, like birds. "For rabbits you have to make sure that they're doing something, like eating, and not looking around?" She ventured. Ember would definitely blend into the shadows--why hadn't she thought of that before? Before she knew it Iskata was gone, back with the rabbit that had been sitting a few yards away. Everything had happened so fast! "I'll...probably be slower than that"
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Iskata was proud of her daughters quick wit and ease at finding out just what was needed to find the solution. She smiled down at her daughter when she answered correctly and Iskata's eyes shone. She knew that she would make a skilled hunter one day, she just needed to practice, just like everyone else had to. "Yes, catch them when their attention is on something else, and creep up quietly, those long ears make it easy to detect the tiniest snap of a twig." She nodded to her daughter, her reply reflecting the answer she'd given and another thing to keep in mind.
Holding the fresh kill in her jaws as she moved back to join her daughter she licked her lips to remove the trace of blood as she placed the rabbit down between them. Shaking the dust from her pelt she laughed softly at Ember's response to her swift return. "Hon' it took seasons of hunting for me to get that fast, once I was just as green to the duties as you. Don't worry about it so much, every once in a while even the best hunters come back with empty bellies." Bending down to take a few washes across her paw with her tongue she paused for a moment, looking up at her daughter with a smile. "Now that we have the food problem taken care of, lets take care of the empty bellies." Dropping her paw back down to earth she curled her tail around her paws and waited for her daughter to decide what they were to do with their meal.
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