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Jamesy and his lovely Naniko!
His last conversation with Iskata had echoed in his mind for the past hour or so, since he'd left their makeshift den. The things she had been through (recently and long ago) amazed him, and even more so did the fact that he had been totally oblivious. Somehow, not knowing for so long led him to feel as though he was a useless son. He'd been isolating without really meaning to, while his mother dealt with the chaos around her. He shook his head, very disgusted with himself. But at least he knew; now he could be of more help to her, and to the rest of his family.
Kansas had shifted after his mother left to join Ember in Labyrinth Glen. His hands were closed around the straps of a black sachel as his arms swung loosely at his sides. He didn't like the feel of something around his neck and shoulders, so it had always been his habit to carry the little pack this way. A few small books were inside, as well as something he needed to return to Naniko from long ago. The lake came into view soon enough, and it was then that he realized Naniko had been right. This place was breathtaking.
He remained at the borders, looking out across the water, where a tangle of trees marked the heart of the territory. He began to fear that he was no longer welcome; what if, in the past several days, the pack had become much more populated and there was no room for him? The boy chewed on his lip, trying to push aside his fears. He would see his pretty older sister soon, wouldn't he? He pictured her warm face in his mind, swiping his bangs from his eyes in one much-used, effortless motion. It was okay.
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[html]  Hiiii 
She was getting older, her second birthday having passed three days prior, but she was still young compared to those around her. Deuce and Lucifer were both older than she and Conri were, but they had chosen to follow the pair anyway...had trusted in them. Naniko had known for a long time that she would someday do something great like this, leading a pack, and she knew for sure now that she could handle it. She and her mate had been remodelling the house and caring for the pups lately, keeping them all well and fed...now that they'd been doing it for a while, it seemed so much easier. Sirius had left. She had heard that he was in Shadowed Sun; Naniko had small spies that she could send out, birds, and they often came back with very important information. The eagle had said that he'd seen a small copper pup within the pack borderlines, but that he had been unable to communicate with the youngster. She crested the hill near the borderline, going toward the place where the treeline faded away into tall grasses. She would send out another messenger to try and get some more information. Maybe one would catch up with Pilot, and she'd get to learn the entire story. Right now the pack was vunerable...she couldn't leave it. As she came over the hill her eyes caught something peculiar, a spot of white in the long field of green. Pilot? She neared, and her tail began to wag, slowly at first then faster and faster. "Kaaaaaansas!" Not Pilot, but another family member. She grinned as she came up to the now grown male, grabbing him into a hug. "Good to see you!" Naniko was still very worried about Sirius...but this was good news, Kansas' arrival.
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10,000 years later... 
He saw her come over the crest in the hill and his tail wagged; the smile on his face was boyish. He even felt as wiggly as a child; why was it that the sight of her uplifted him so much? Kansas sometimes wondered if he took their friendship too seriously. Maybe it wasn't all that extravagant... But he loved telling himself that it was. He calmed himself a little, sighing gladly when she enfolded him in one of her warm hugs. He hugged her back, lifting her off the ground for a moment, meaning to be playful but wondering if it seemed too intimate. After he set her down, he smiled, backing away slightly, awkwardly.
"You too!" The boy didn't know where to begin. Did she know about Haku? Kansas was unsure if his stepsister was also in danger; but he honestly didn't even believe he was, being so unknown around here. "I found mom, finally, we've been spending the past few weeks together in Ethereal Eclipse. But I... think I'm ready to be here, if that's still all right." He smile had weakened, shaping into something a bit more serious. But it was still there. He knew he'd be welcome, or else she would have greeted him differently, and this gave him a sense of calm like he hadn't experienced in several weeks.
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-snugs- omg guess what. I got my eyebrow pierced. o.o
She laughed when he lifted her up on the ground, her back cricking. "That felt great!" She felt so excited that he was there. Her mind was going a million miles an hour. Naniko had spent the last week or so looking out for him, just in case he might stumble over the borderline...but she hadn't gone out looking for him. She didn't want to push him to come and join if he didn't want to, even if their pack was really in need of members. It wouldn't feel right to try and guilt him into coming to live in Twilight Vale. They would gain more members with time, and their pack would become stronger. She and Conri were hoping for some pups of their own pretty soon...so that would add to their numbers as well.
The green eyed girl thought for a moment. She didnt know anything about what was going on with Haku and the other packs, if there was anything going on. Not yet, anyway. They lived so far away from everyone else that news didn't travel very quickly. "Of course! I haven't told Conri about you coming to join us yet, but I'm sure he'd be happy. Welcome to Twilight Vale." She stepped aside to let him in, motioning to him so that he might walk beside her. "How's Iskata doing? I did talk to her a month or so ago, trying to convince her to come here. I thought it'd be safer. But she's joined Labrynth Glen?"
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Aw, no way! You lucky ho! I want that so badly. I demand photos in the Talk Tank, stat. 
Her words reassured him that he had done no harm, and his grin widened. He had wondered how the pack was doing, if it had gained any members at all since the last time he had spoken with her. He wouldn't see why it wouldn't have; Twilight Vale was one of the prettiest places he'd ever seen. Naniko was being her usual, easygoing self; he felt a lot less awkward. There wasn't a need for formality or theatrics. There never was with his sister.
The pale youth walked alongside her, past the borders and into his new home. He seriously hoped Naniko's mate would want him there, too. Kansas was jealous of Conri for having her, but he knew that there was something wrong with feeling this way; he didn't allow himself to think negatively of the boy who treated Naniko so well. He pushed his confusing thoughts from his mind and focused on what she had asked him. Being with Iskata the past few weeks had meant a lot to him, perhaps changed him in subtle ways. "She's okay. I wish she could have been here, too, but Ember needs her more than I do." He paused, not knowing how much he should tell her. It certainly was not his desire to worry his leader, but she had to know something. "You... don't know about Haku. He did some awful things to two members of Inferni. He apparently doesn't remember. So Mom's been dealing with him, taking care of him and everything. But she wanted me to find a pack, I guess she wanted us to be safe."
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I demanded a barbell instead of a ring, because I think those look much better. And I got a spiral piercing for my ear, once I get my cartilage holes a bit bigger. AKA once I get some more cash x_X AKA not for a while ^^ -poor- o.o
She liked the way that Twilight Vale was away from the other packs, secluded...but in ways, it didn't help them. They had to travel long distances to get anywhere, really. It was a very interesting place to live, their lands, but Naniko had already explored nearly every crook and cranny, and was ready to go and visit some other places now. It just took a while to get anywhere.
She walked at a comfortable pace, listening to the news. "I'd heard that Ember was back--that's good. And I think....Fatin leads that pack? So they'll all be fine" She wasn't sure what to make of the next part...a mixture of both good and bad news. "He might not remember. I read once that it's possible to unconciously block out bad memories, and the person might not even realize they're doing it. But...if Mom's protecting him, she might get in the way of someone seeking revenge. Do you know who he hurt?"
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Yeah, I like barbells better too! Dude, I feel your pain. If I wasn't poor I'd have many, many cool piercings by now. :o
It was true that it had taken him a long time to get from Ethereal Eclipse to Twilight Vale, but he hadn't really been paying too much attention to that. The pack's distance from everyone else was something he wouldn't mind. Part of the fun of traveling was actually getting there; gave him time to think. Of course, he did worry that some day he would need to get somewhere more quickly than the Vale's location allowed. But nothing could dissuade Kansas from making this his home.
He nodded. He had not met Fatin yet, but he had heard of her wonderful leadership of Jaded Shadows. That Naniko thought she would keep their mother and sister safe comforted him a little. He stared at his feet, swinging the little bag in his hand a bit as she spoke. Before they parted, he needed to return to her what he had brought. She said aloud his greatest worry, and he felt pierced somewhere. He wished he could bring them here, further away from Inferni. "I don't know. Uh...One of them had a child with her, though. " He didn't want to add horror to the already-terrifying tale, but perhaps this would help Naniko determine who at least one of the coyotes Haku had attacked was. "That's what I've been worrying about. Do you think there's anything I can do?" As if she would have the answer.
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It's infected x_x and pus-filled. bah. I used the soap they gave me and haven't been touching it :EE
There were a lot of empty rooms left in the manor; the place was pretty big, with different wings. Naniko, Conri, and the pups occupied the Western bedrooms, but she didn't often go into the ones to the east, except to clean them or paint something. Fixing up the house had taken a while, but now that they were finally done she was really glad that she'd spent the time.
She thought over this new information. If the coyotes were given any reason to attack they would...and sometimes they even attacked without any known reason. Just out of hate. There were enough wolves to tackle the problem, but could they all work together? "I think the best thing you could do would be to try and stay away from Inferni. If they come here, then give Conri and I a warning howl. I'll drive the bastards out myself."
Her father Physe had lost his pack to the coyotes when they'd lived in the old lands, and Naniko wanted to be sure that the same thing wouldn't happen to Twilight Vale. They had enough adults now that they could defend the borders, hopefully. "Just don't try to take any of them on by yourself, okay?" At least they could work together, if Kansas did get into trouble. Seeing the two white wolves fighting together, a coyote might think that they had double vision. She and Kansas really did look a lot alike.
"If you want to, you can stay in the house. There are also a few caves, sheds, or trees that you could dig something under. Conri, Apollo, and I have mostly been staying inside the house. Lucifer does, too, with his sons. It's pretty safe."
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Aw, ouchie. I hate that. My ears got infected once, and it was really painful. But I think it goes away pretty fast. *pets*
He still held on to his belief that coyotes in general weren't bad; it was just the individuals. And if Inferni was like any other pack, its members would defend any one of them who got himself into trouble. Kansas wanted to believe this; grudges weren't his thing. He'd rather know that people were naturally good, not wicked, and their interest was in protecting. If Kansas brought the coyote pack to Inferni, it was more likely that he'd blame himself than them.
Her advice was what he'd asked for, but he still felt very guilty after she'd spoken. What if he did bring destruction here? His stomach lurched. Hearing her say she'd chase the coyotes out on her own (even if she was being metaphoric) frightened him; he found himself beginning to regret coming here. Naniko was the last one he wanted to lose.
Her plea made him smile, though. "All right. Thanks. Hopefully... they won't come here, though." Half of him, the pessimistic half, assured him that Inferni would single him out, uninvolved as he was; they would hunt him down and hurt Naniko, Conri, and the rest of Twilight Vale. But the more rational side of him told him he was not on their radar, and probably wouldn't be. He only wished he knew for sure. "I'd love to stay there. I don't want to... intrude. But, I mean, if it's really okay, I'd appreciate it. I've never been inside a house before."
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Now we've actually got a picture of the manor as the header
Naniko wasn't that into fighting. What was the use of hurting each other, wasting a healer's time? She'd taken care of too many people over the years to ever have the desire to go into combat. If they came to her lands and antagonized someone while she was within range, she'd come and defend the borders. It was a natural instinct. But she wouldn't like it, and she wouldn't do it unless they crossed into her lands.
Hopefully, though, if they kept their heads low...no one would come by."No, you bet! I get kind of bored some days, so I paint...or clean. We've got some paint outside a shed....right there" She pointed as they approached. "All different colors. So once you pick out a room, you can paint it whatever colors you want. The little kids' rooms all have pawprints on the walls." She grinned, leading him up to the porch. "I really like this house. It kind of feels like the sort of place that would stand through anything, you know?"
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Omg, I know, it's really gawgeous.
Kansas had always been a coward. He knew this and hopefully those who loved him realized this too, and it didn't bother them. He could handle emotional trauma if he really worked at it, but fighting was not his thing. It scared him to death. Of course, he wouldn't have turned tail and fled if he was ever forced to defend himself or someone he cared for. But in reality, he wouldn't get any enjoyment out of it and he'd probably find the quickest way out. It was something Kansas was ashamed of, but that he knew he could probably never bring himself to change.
"That sounds... fun." He really meant it. He enjoyed fiddling about doing fairly unimportant things. "I'll help you clean if you want." A small smile began to form. He really appreciated her effort to make him feel like he was really welcome; she gave him the option of picking a room, making it his own. "Ha, great. I've never painted before, just written...Oh, I almost forgot." He laughed a little; now seemed like a good opportunity. He reached into his bag and pulled out the small slate she'd let him borrow so many months ago. On its surface he had scrawled "Naniko D'Angelo" and drawn a rather ugly flower beside it. He'd done it that morning before his talk with his mother. He offered the slate to her with an awkward smile. "I practiced, like you said. A lot."
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