All welcome, one or two only please! Set in the Halifax Public Gardens. SOSU!? 467 words.
Vigilante did not often go to the large city that was roughly central to the area, but Hati had wanted to explore outside of the pack lands and the King thought that might be the best place to take his dark son. They could not go to any of the beaches, for it was far too cold to swim or risk falling into water, and he was hesitant to bring his young son among the trees where they might be susceptible to ambush. Of course, he did not actually expect something like that to happen, and he knew that he would be able to protect his son if it came down to it, but he did not want to risk it. Ayita would never forgive him if anything happened to Hati, and he did not want his other children to have to cope with that, either. No, it was best to prevent anything from happening at all, the King's fiercely protective nature insisted.
As a result of not going there often, the dog King did not know of many places in the city that would be interesting to Hati, so they set off without any specific destination in mind. "Dad, dad! This'll be great, huh?" the moon pup chirped, dancing excitedly around his massive father's paws. Busy as he was with his duties as King, the father did not spend much time with his children individually, and this adventure had excited the normally solemn pup in ways the dog mutt had not expected. He smiled down at the boy, nodding sagely. "We'll find something interesting to do, son," he replied with a toothy grin.
The pair made their way through the city until they found a garden, flourishing with plant life and pools of water harboring fish and other creatures. Hati's bright blue eyes widened with excitement at seeing all of the plants, and he leaned down to sniff at one of the pools, touching his nose to the water and startling the fish beneath the surface. The almost-five-month-old puppy laughed, a sly sound that caught his father's attention. The King padded over to the pool, quietly so that his son would not notice with his attention so focused on the water, standing beside the boy and lowering his face to the level of his son's.
"What is it you are doing?" he asked, and the sudden words caused Hati to yelp in surprise, whipping his face around until his nose touched his father's snow-tipped own. They stood there for a moment, nose to nose and staring into each other's eyes, father amused and son startled, before they both began to laugh. Hati fell over and rolled next to the pond, chuckling to himself. "Wasn't scared!" he breathed between laughs.
Terra was finally heading back to her pack, and happy about it. The pack might not be the largest, but it definitely held her whole heart. Without it Terra wasn't too sure where she would go. She did have friends in another pack, but it consisted mainly of wolves, and the less than warm greeting she'd been given made Terra sure that they wouldn't welcome her presence. Passing through the city Terra checked her traps again. They had been triggered, and there was even the scent of a canine in one of them.
Further in she caught the scent of a pack member. Thinking it might be someone else leaving Terra nervously ran forward. She would do her best to stop this, and see if she could get them to stay. The pack wasn't a bad place. Instead of finding someone leaving the court though, Terra came across the alpha playing with his son. Terra let out a yip announcing her presence, tail wagging. The presence of another adult meant that Terra wouldn't have to worry about the pup and could just be her troublesome self. Hello! What brings you out here? Terra aimed a lick at the alpha's cheek, pleased to see him.
The last thing he expected was to run into another member of the Court so far away from their territory, though it was certainly not an unpleasant occurrence. Vigilante simply did not expect anyone else from the small kingdom to be in the city today as well. He turned, spotting Terra as she approached, and he did not stop Hati from rushing forward to stand with his tail wagging and tongue lolling, as he was excited about seeing someone else he could play with. If the approaching canine had been anyone other than a Courtier, the King would have stopped his son from moving forward, but he trusted the members of his pack.
As little as he appreciated physical contact from those he was not close to (limiting it to his family, basically), the King of misfits allowed her tongue to run over his cheek in an affectionate greeting. She was one of the more enthusiastic members of the kingdom, and that was a trait the King appreciated. Terra was loyal, he knew without a doubt, even if she seemed a bit rambunctious and somewhat of a trouble-maker. Now, with the pack's numbers dwindling, knowing that he had loyal members meant a great deal to him. It was very important.
"Hello, Terra," he said in his rumbling voice, offering her a polite smile. Hati moved in and began sniffing around her paws with interest, peering up at her briefly to nod his own greeting. "We were just exploring the city. Hati was interested to see something outside of the pack's territory, and we found this interesting garden," the King explained. "And what of you?" he asked, inquiring eyes looking at her young features.
Her tail wagged with excitement. Terra leaned down, giving Hati a lick on the head. He was pretty big, already looking like he would weigh more than her full grown. That didn't bother her though. She was just happy to be able to relax without worry. Travel was harsh, and a trip outside always made her thankful that she had a pack to call her own. The route back still varied though, her rebellious nature fighting against what would be the quickest way. She still wanted to see new things, experience new things, even as she already drowned in it.
Glancing around the garden Terra could understand why the alpha would stop here with a pup. It was fairly interesting in appearance, yet still appeared stable enough to not hold the danger other buildings, or even the wild lands outside the city, would hold. Isolated there would be few animals that could cause danger, and with the human's mark still lingering a small chance of getting poisoned if one happens to spot a plant that begged for a good chew.
I'm coming back to the pack after a trip north. There's a new pack up there, though it's not very friendly. She found that extremely tragic, considering how many of her friends were there. If she could, Terra would challenge the one in charge and help lead the pack to a more peaceful open nature. That wasn't her though, so all she could do was pass on a warning.
I'm sorry! I forgot to add this to my post log so I completely forgot about it. :c 318 words.
Though he was the son of the noble King, Hati was less interested in Terra and politics than his father was. The dark puppy grumbled for a moment as the Baroness' tongue ran over the top of his head before he bounded off in search of a different pool of water. In his mind, the destination was adult-free and that was awesome. Vigilante watched him scamper off, jade eyes narrowing as he followed his son's movements carefully. He would allow the pup to wander off some, but if he lost track of him, the freedom would be taken away from the prince.
His attention was turned back to the sly female then, though his ears were still open for anything abnormal or concerning that might come from his son. Her words were met with a concerned expression, though it was not the type of concern one might expect. The King did not worry much about the unfriendliness of the northern pack. His worries were central to the size of the pack, which he supposed might be a related thought. The continually shrinking of the pack worried him, and if the pack was unfriendly and might be the type to bring trouble, it could be disastrous for the kingdom. They could not survive another war.
"What can you tell me of this new pack?" the dog mutt of caramel hue inquired of the female. "I am afraid that I know very little of the northern packs," came the sheepish admission. He knew of Inferni to the north, the unfriendly group of coyotes, but that was the extent of his knowledge of the north. Of course he had passed through it on his way to the south, but since, he had hardly gone back and only knew much of anything about the southern packs: Crimson Dreams, AniWaya, Cercatori d'Arte, a bit about Anann's new pack, and of course his own.
Her news was welcomed, inviting her to inform her king about what she knew. Terra knew it was important to keep up on this kind of thing, and was more than willing to help that happen. Hati had scampered off after being licked, finding things more interesting than listening to adults talk. Terra's tail wagged happily, enjoying the view of the city. She considered warning the king of the traps she'd set up here, but figured that it was better for him to not know what she got up to when outside. That was her time for making trouble, not being a loyal pack member.
They're mostly wolves, fresh established. Their alphess is extremely young, not even a year old yet. They've called many to them though, living life on four legs and revoking the gift that being a luperci gives us. Terra found it silly that so many noble wolves that she would trouble picturing submitting to a weakling would let a mere pup lead them. Then again, they were desperate for some kind of direction. It made sense that they'd follow whoever gave them what they wished for, even if that power wasn't deserved.
With his son off exploring other parts of the garden, Vigilante was free to discuss the new pack to the north and process the information that Terra gave him without worrying about entertaining the dark boy. He did not necessarily disagree with the idea of living with their roots. The humanistic way of life here often had him feeling uncomfortable, but it was the way that the kingdom had evolved since its creation and he did not think it wise to change that now. It was a style that suited the rest of the kingdom, even if the King himself sometimes felt as if they were in a bizarre state of nonliving. Usually it was fine.
"And they are hostile to outsiders?" he inquired, hoping to confirm this notion from what she had said previously. Perhaps if she told him more of her visit there and the canines that lived there, he could understand the pack more. Certainly it would be worth it to make the journey there to learn more, and in the process, perhaps he could stop by some of the other packs. Many were younger than the kingdom, but he hardly knew anything of them, such as it was that he preferred to stay at home in the kingdom and the rest of the southern part of the lands.
In the north, he knew of the rough coyote clan. The kingdom had never had real troubles with them, and some of the kingdom's members had taken the side of the clan so long ago in the war. The other side had been Dahlia de Mai, but that pack was no longer there, and neither was Phoenix Valley. Things had certainly changed in the north, and he did not know the names of the packs there. The King was poorly educated in the northern hierarchies, but he knew a decent amount of the south.
The south had stayed the same, for the most part. The kingdom, the pack of Dreamers, and the tribe had all remained, though with drastic changes in the tribe recently. The younger packs were the pack of artists and traders, and Anann's new pack. The artists were not particularly new, however, and seemed to be permanently settled. From what he knew of Anann and Jazper, so was the pack of the brotherhood. He would need to learn more about the north so that he was better educated on the packs surrounding his own.
Terra nodded her head unhappily. I have friends there, but they still drove me off. I don't know if they really are friends anymore with how hostile they were. Terra's ears drooped. So many good friends, gone. Swallowed by a pack that would have no part of the tiny coywolf. Feral herself, Terra felt it brutal to be driven away for whatever reason it was. She hadn't been told, knowing only that she was unwelcome despite her friendly nature and politeness at the borders. Granted, she'd mouthed off at the alphess, but she hadn't known, and had apologized for her behavior.
Twisting her head she looked over at Hati, watching him splash in the water. Suddenly pup sitting wasn't such an unattractive idea, as long as it let the memories fade. She liked her friends, and having them turn from her like that had hurt. Being with her alpha soothed some of that hurt, safe in the knowledge that she belonged and had purpose.
"That is unfortunate. I am sorry that they treated you so harshly," he spoke genuinely, though the fault was clearly not his own. It was unfortunate to know that they would treat someone that they considered a friend that way, and it was not something he ever wanted the kingdom to turn to. While he did not want their borders to be opened up as a free zone to pass through, he did not want them to get a reputation of being unfriendly. From all he had experienced, it seemed that the more friendly packs were located in the south, while the harsher packs were located to the north. Maybe that was the subconscious reason as to why he preferred not to go too far north.
Vigilante studied his dark pelted son. It would be amazing to know what Hati was thinking, splashing in one of the small pools and scaring the fish. He was worlds away, untroubled by things like a shrinking pack and hostile neighbors. There were other things that troubled him, as a puppy, such as what he would be when he was an adult, or when he would be able to shift. The dog King knew that such troubles were monumental to a young puppy, and so they were not entirely comparable in nature to his own troubles. His own worries were not anything that he would put on his son; they were only his to worry about.
Terra turned back to Vigilante, her tail giving a soft wag. She'd chosen well when she'd decided to join the pack. There had been so many she could have gone to, but only this one fit her rather unique needs of both a purpose and freedom. Her alpha cared about her, and felt her sorrow as well. Terra knew he'd fought in a war recently as well, proving his strength. What more could one ask from a leader? Playfully Terra reached up to tug on his ear before bounding over to where Hati was.
Reaching the puddle of water Terra stopped, watching the fish swim around. Poised at the edge Terra waited, watching for one to swim close. Her teeth snapped, trying to catch the fish. It was too quick for the amateur hunter though, and Terra only ended up falling in, soaking everyone within range. Growling Terra climbed back out, shaking her fur. What a time to get wet. It was still winter, making it rather cold. Terra was a land born creature as well, viewing water as something to drink and lose her scent in, nothing more. Terra looked over at Vigilante, tail wagging now.
The King did not receive a response from the female hybrid, and perhaps that was for the best, as it seemed that Terra was no longer interested in talking about the new pack to the north. Instead, he sat for a moment feeling utterly perturbed and perplexed by the way she tugged on his ear, though the confused response was given after she had already bounded away towards the dark-furred prince. He was not nearly as affectionate as many others were, but her shows of physical submission were strange ones to him. Vigilante was rarely actually touched by anyone other than his mate and children, and his horse.
For a fleeting moment, he wondered if perhaps she had never been given the opportunity to have a proper childhood and thus had not matured at the same rate that others did, but he knew this was an unfair assumption. He did not know her exact age and if he had, still, he knew nothing of the circumstances in which she had grown. It was perhaps for the better that she had not had to grow up as fast as he had, or Noah and Liam had. Such hardships were not necessary and he wished them on no one.
Hati turned his nose up at the intrusion of the female on the small pond he had chosen to antagonize the fish in, but he laughed slyly when she fell in. Vigilante rose, padding to the pair as Terra pulled herself out of the water and shook, sending droplets of water at the King and the prince. "I think that means that it is time to head back to the kingdom," he said with a chuckle, "before the cold becomes unbearable."
With all of them dripping wet, particularly Terra, the dog mutt wanted them all to return to the kingdom where they could dry off and warm themselves before the cold set into their skin and they fell ill. Hati protested briefly, but a look from his father quieted him and he fell into line, following his father back towards the pack territory. Pale blue eyes turned to make sure that Terra was following; the young boy did not want her to be out here when he couldn't be.
Terra didn't mind heading back now, having spent a long time traveling. She was looking forward to curling up inside her mattress, and enjoying the familiar scents of the pack around her. Her travels had been interesting, yes, but the need to return home still remained. The pack tugged at her heart first and foremost, and Terra would sacrifice herself without a second thought to keep it going. She trailed after Vigilante and Hati, though she pulled a face at Hati as he watched to make sure she wasn't getting away with anything.
Silently she reached forward, snapping almost at the pup's tail before pulling back, pretending to be innocent of any actions. Brightly she followed them until they crossed into the territory, and Terra climbed up to her room to sleep, happy and exhausted.
467 words. 
