Watch me bloom [aw]

Watch me bloom [aw]

Holly

02-01-2012, 07:07 PM

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OOC:

After the incident of getting lost in the woods, Holly had stuck close to the den. She wandered only as far as the river on either side to quench her thirst. That's where she was headed at the moment, toward the east and the branch of the river that passed closer to the highway and sunrise meadow. It was a shame, she thought, that such a beautiful landscape was marred by the cracked road. She had heard stories about the humans from her mother and had learned that they had walked on two legs and destroyed the earth, and themselves, with their machines. She had wanted to know more about them but her mother only had the stories that had been passed down from the time when humans existed and had no answers to Holly's many questions.

She drank her fill of the cool river water, lapping it up as it flowed downstream. Now satisfied she sat on the bank, watching the world around her as the morning turned into afternoon. The flowers in the meadow beyond beckoned her to roll in their fragrance but she dared not venture further. She looked back toward the den, making sure that she could still see it and that anyone at the den could see her. She did not fancy getting lost again.

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Shandom Qi'Vaex

02-01-2012, 08:04 PM

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Word Count → 535 :: hope you don't mind me jumping in!

The alabaster man could not live in the realm of dreams: it was this realization that kept him from sleeping much.

Lately, he'd found himself in the den, wide awake before numerous bothers before wandering away to find something to do. It was difficult, if he were being honest - Shandom felt purposeless in this low rank, as if there were nothing he could do. His aspirations were, naturally, much higher than the lowly subordinate in which he currently dwelt - while he might not be a leader anymore, he could not help the dignity and purpose that ran through his very blood. The scarred and ruined man knew his face was a testament to his unworthiness of power, but even those who could not adequately hold such a burden needed some reason in life. It was part of why he'd hated being a loner so much. Certainly, it was what he was accustomed to - and how he acted, Shandom knew he was more reserved than most - but the Qi'Vaex had always wanted desperately to rejoin a pack, to find somewhere to call home.

New Dawn was that. He did love the pack - the camaraderie, the naturalness of it all, everything. Shandom lived comfortably on four legs, and rarely ventured into his bipedal form. He'd never been comfortable with that particular form, and did not judge anyone who chose to do so. But still, he wanted to forget that he was ever infected with the putrid virus. If he could have gone back in time, he would have ignored Tourniquet's encouraging words to accept it, and allow it to run through his veins. Perhaps he was too old when the transition occurred, or perhaps it was simply something wrong fundamentally with his system, but Shandom Qi'Vaex would never be a comfortable shifter. As his friend Caprica had described it so long ago, many came from "families of shifters". His family, the family he forsake and ruined, never had the strange virus. If he were being realistic, they probably never would. Etienne was far too isolated.

As the morning melted into the afternoon, Shandom, who had been at the far borders of the pack, towards Ichika, wandered back to the familiar den. It was on this path he encountered something strange: a small, brown child, barely a quarter turn of the seasons. Chocolate eyes, one clouded and one still vibrant, narrowed in brief confusion and concern; the male had never been particularly paternal, but this little one confused him, and so he drew close. None had seemed pregnant, and even if any were this child was far too old to be the birth-child of any member of New Dawn; it was very strange. A low, greeting bark slipped past his lips as the male came close, gently nudging her small head with his cool, moist black nose. Hello, little one, Shandom said, sitting down next to her. My name is Shandom. Are you new here? He wondered how such a small child could have ended up in a pack without parents. He hadn't encountered any new adults as of late, and he could not help but a flicker of confusion across his face.

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Holly

02-02-2012, 08:48 AM

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Word Count → 194 :: I don't mind at all! I want her to get to know everyone. Sorry for the short reply Tongue

Another wolf approached her, his fur as white as the light layer of snow on the ground. She wagged her tail to his soft bark of greeting, sending back a soft woof of her own. When she wasn't being threatened by the many terrors of the world she was just like any other pup. She knew that this male carried no threat. They were pack mates, they were family. As he pushed his nose into her head she very gentle nipped the area below his chin. It was an act of submission and of acceptance. She was helpless without the older wolves of the pack so it was her place to show them her appeasement. Besides, it was awfully cute.

"Hello." Her reply was a happy one, though her voice was soft and a little shy. She acknowledged his name with a nod, but she didn't think to give her own in return. "Yes. Deuce said I could stay here. Be safe." Safe from her terrible past and the phobias it had created. She turned again to watch the passing of the river, her eyes following a branch as it made its way downstream.

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Shandom Qi'Vaex

02-07-2012, 12:09 AM

So, uh, Rosie's really bad at like... Posting and stuff. So this post used to exist, and it said something along the lines of...

Quote:Shandom looks at Holly, tries to figure out what something so small is doing out of the den, says a few things, then asks her if she'd like to play in the snow, because that's what kids like to do, right?

There was more, but I don't remember any of it. o.o It was unfortunately deleted when I decided to be exceptionally stupid and overwrite it with my Feb 8 post.

D:

--

Kiri's Edit: Just wanted to note to mods/admins that this explanation is valid and does not count as an OOC post, etc. Just an honest mistake. <3

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Holly

02-07-2012, 08:53 AM

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Word Count → 293 :: It's okay. Real life happens.

Holly's tail made a path in the light snow at his words and she looked back at him and smiled. She was unsure what to say and so she didn't say anything. Only when he posed a question did she open her mouth to give a reply. "Is Holly." With that out of the way she let her eyes wander over the male. He was pure white, like freshly fallen snow, just as her mother had been. His face however was scarred in various places, making him look rugged and tough. Her mother had had a kind face, with eyes that reflected the rising sun.

Lost in her memories she let out a deep sigh and turned her gaze back toward the water. Her eyes briefly closed only to open sharply and peer sideways at the older wolf beside her. Play? Play was something that pups did while mothers sat nearby. Play was with Rowan and Darnell. She tipped her head in question. He had called her sister and she had played with her brothers before she had come here. Perhaps he was not as old as he looked? To her all grown wolves were old and that was that. She did not distinguish between yearlings and elderly, at least not quite yet.

It took her a moment to answer him, her hesitation and confusion quite obvious. When she did answer it was a slow response, soft and unsure. "Yes..?" She did not know exactly what he had in mind but if it were up to her she would want to frolic through the open field of snow on the other side of the river. It just looked so inviting, with tracks making patterns across it and the wind stirring up random flurries.

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Ciara O'Callahan

02-07-2012, 01:41 PM

(OOC Note: I PM'd Holly's player about the time differences and she said it was alright for me to join as she'd never set an exact time for the thread. Hope this is okay? WC: 300)

It had only been a few hours since Ciara had joined the pack after being accepted by Zalen. Her stomach was still uneasy from all the excitement of first meeting the Alpha and then being brought into New Dawn lands to meet the others. So far, the only other wolf whose curiosity she'd perked was the pack Epsilon, Augustus. She'd been afraid at first when he'd come to her with a dominant pose, but she allowed her instincts to guide her. She'd done pretty well in her first meeting with the snowy male, she figured at least, but she had sensed that, judging by the looks the Epsilon had been giving their ebony Alpha, that her new acquaintance had some business to discuss with him.

With another soft, happy yip, she had pinned her ears back politely and backed away from them. She wasn't sure what the protocol was for leaving the presence of higher-ranking wolves, but she kept her head and tail low as she moved away to give them privacy. She'd planned to go to the river and get a drink, the scent and sound of the running water had reminded her just how thirsty she was. However, en route to the river, she had spotted a small, oddly-coloured pup and a different male.

Warily, she took her drink while watching the two out of the corner of her eye. Licking the dripping water from her black and tan maw, she perked her ears and moved over towards the other wolves. They smelled of the pack, so she automatically relaxed a little. She twitched her ears, lowering them just slightly and holding her tail parallel to the ground in the stance of a curious wolf. Her brown and gold flecked eyes watched the two carefully, especially the male, who might be a higher rank than her.

Slowly, carefully, Ciara approached the two new pack members, letting out a small whine to ensure them she meant no harm.

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Shandom Qi'Vaex

02-08-2012, 07:55 PM

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Word Count → 363 :: ROSIE IS A GENIUS!

The little puppy spoke her name, and Shandom nodded in acknowledgement. Holly. It felt strange on his mental tongue as he internally played around with it, something he’d never heard of before and perhaps one that never would have been conceived in his homeland. Regardless, it sounded pretty, and he supposed there was something about it that suited the little girl. You have a pretty name, Holly, Shandom remarked, slightly self conscious that he might not be behaving appropriately around children. After all, the alabaster male was notorious for being incredibly socially awkward when it came to children. It was especially strange because the man was rather comfortable in most situations, though he was more reserved than others. But children were his weakness, his Achilles heel; when he looked at them he saw the children he’d ruined, a quantity of which was unfortunately high.

Perhaps she thought it strange that an older wolf would like to play, but Shandom recalled that, when he did socialize with children, they liked to play games. Unfortunately, he was still not coming up with any brilliant ideas, though he followed the puppy’s eyes to the large expanse of snow before the river. A mischievous smile curled across Shandom’s lips – perhaps they would be able to play a fun game of tag, with the little one winning, of course. Tag was a strange version of play and honing instincts; Shandom remembered this from his early training with Gyek. He wondered if she knew how to play.

But before he could ask, another female presented herself, and she did not have the scent of New Dawn as powerfully as he, or even Holly, had. For a brief moment Shandom felt compelled to protect the little puppy until he realized he was being entirely ridiculous; obviously this female did have some scent of the pack, and she was merely new. A wide, friendly smile spread across his deeply scarred face, and his tail wagged eagerly. Hello! Shandom barked, standing on his four legs. His stance was neutral, neither particularly dominant nor submissive. Come, come – we mean you no harm, sister. I’m Shandom Nightslayer, and this is Holly – who are you?

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Holly

02-09-2012, 12:57 PM

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Word Count → 260 ::

She waited for Shandom to decide exactly how they were going to play. She didn't want to start something only to have him not understand what she was doing. Older wolves usually didn't get the kinds of games she liked to play. She wanted to go on a grand adventure! With humans and monsters and avalanches to content with. She wanted to race in the field to see who would win the heart of the fair maiden, like she and her brothers used to do. Her mother had seen them playing that game once and upon asking them what they were doing she quickly dragged Holly to the side and told her that girls did not try and win the hearts of other girls. At the time she didn't understand and she still didn't. Wasn't Deuce mated to another girl? What was so wrong about it?

Her confusion was soon tossed aside as an unfamiliar female aproached them. Shandom gave her a friendly greeting and introduced the two. So she was part of the pack then. Shandom had called her sister and that meant she was part of their family. She took a step forward and her tail started to wag. "HEY!" She yelled to the newcomer, coming out of her shell now that she felt a little more comfortable with the male. She was starting to feel like she really belonged here. "You can play with us too." She decided before turning to Shandom and giving him a look. C'mon, it said, let's get this show on the road!

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Ciara O'Callahan

02-09-2012, 03:09 PM

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Word Count :: 446

OOC: First time using a table, hell yeah!

Ciara had been nervously sniffing the two wolves from a distance, trying to gather their scents. The male smelled more strongly of New Dawn than the puppy did, but she knew they’d both been pack before her. As the scarred, snowy male broke into a smile, the young wolfess relaxed visibly. She matched Shandom’s neutral posture, moving forward at the invitation to sniff and prod at him gently with her nose. Her subtly coloured fur brushed in against the male’s alabaster as she nudged her nose to his neck, then she stepped back, smiling just as happily as he.

While her paws were a little muddy and she was rather skinny from months of being on her own and eating rodents, Ciara was still quite beautiful for her age. Her body was slender, athletic and showed the promise of being strong as she got older. The thick pelt that covered her body was multi-faceted, calico almost with a mixture of black, tan and white. The tan circled her eyes and highlighted the brown-gold mixture that almost came off as orange, and her ears were black-rimmed and caramel. Her chest and belly were a full white, with one small splotch on her chest that had a mixture of black and tawny colouring. Luckily, she wasn’t pompous in the knowledge of her youthful looks; rather it made her shyer than anything.

“I’m Ciara,” she said, grinning and giving a friendly lick of her pink tongue across Shandom’s cheek. She noticed the scar going across his face but kept her eyes trained away from it, not wanting to pry into the history of the mark. Her head then dipped down to sniff at the puppy at his side, checking out just who this Holly was for herself. When the pup yelled, she jumped a bit, not used to the loud noise before giving a soft yip of laughter and dipping her head to lick over the pup’s ears. She could tell the little one was impatient, wanting to play, even before Holly mentioned it.

Scuffling back a little, Ciara thrust her front paws out in front of her and bowed to Holly, her tail wagging so fiercely that her small body wiggled from side to side. “Alright then, let’s play!” She exclaimed happily, excited at the notion of doing something for the pure fun of it. She couldn’t remember the last time that had happened, and honestly, didn’t know if she’d ever played before. When Holly turned towards Shandom impatiently, Ciara darted forward and bumped her nose to the little pup’s side before scuffing back against the snow to bow again, a foot or so away from her.

"Tag?"

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Shandom Qi'Vaex

#10

02-13-2012, 11:21 PM

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Word Count → 273 ::didn't see the replies to this, sorry!

The new girl approached and Shandom smiled, happy to see that she was so comfortable in her inherent nature. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ciara! Welcome to New Dawn. His expression was easy and comfortable and his tail wagged good naturedly; the man was excited to meet more pack members, and was especially relieved that young females were beginning to populate the pack. It was important for the posterity of the pack that there be good genetic breeding stock, and while Holly was certainly too young to be considered like that in any sort of light, Ciara was certainly of age. Young, and Shandom could never consider her in the light of anything but a child for himself, but he could appreciate her usefulness. Luckily, he kept his slightly strange thoughts to himself.

Holly was impatient to play, and Shandom laughed, deep and booming and rich. All right, little one, let's go. Tag sounds.... He paused for the briefest of moments before nudging her with his cool dark nose. Great!!! You're it! His laughter continued and the suddenly shameless man bolted off, though not as quickly as he might normally run, eager to let the little girl tumble after him and eventually catch, if she so chose. C'mon, Ciara, don't let Holly get you! You don't want to be it! Playing brought him a little bit of ease he rarely felt; Shandom's whole body, normally heavy with the weight of regret, seemed slightly lighter than normal. In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was how he felt when his own kin were young. It had been so long.

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