Don't shed a tear for me

Sophie Hughes · 02-05-2012, 06:00 AM

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Word Count → 658 :: Oohh, Sophie's been sneakin' out of the hoouuussee. >>

Sophie wasn't supposed to be exploring. It was late, and she should be at home sleeping; but she'd grown restless after her talk with Leon, and when Boothe had only grumbled and rolled over at her nuzzles, she'd been forced to leave the hut. She really hadn't meant to go far, only out to get some fresh air--maybe to the stables, or out to see Hamza, and then to come straight back. She certainly hadn't meant to leave the pack lands altogether.

That had been hours ago, now, and Sophie would admit that she was somewhat lost. She'd been wandering the edges of the pack lands, all wrapped up in her white rabbit pelt to keep her warm--Trigger had noticed her shivering earlier in the evening, and had wrapped it around her in the hopes that she would warm up--and very little else. She'd even taken to removing her bracelet when she went to bed, so that it'd last longer, and also so that it wouldn't get stuck on her paw; she was afraid she'd grow too big for it, but thus far at least, it still fit.

She'd meant to begin heading back, but that was when the glowing things had begun to rise from the tall grass, and she'd been so intrigued she'd wandered after them. They were small, like insects, but they glowed brightly, and she was captured by their magnificence before she realized what they were. Glow fairies! The ones that would grant wishes, if you caught them! Mordecai had told her about them so long ago, but she'd remembered everything from that meeting as clearly as though it were yesterday. They'd make her dreams come true, whatever those might be, and though she thought it a bit odd to find glow fairies in the middle of winter, when all the other fairies seemed to be nestled into burrows hiding from the cold, she wouldn't let such a chance pass her by.

So she'd followed them. It was rather hard to catch them, as they could fly much higher than little Sophie could jump, but she had a lot of fun chasing them, anyway, and it was wonderful just to have the chance to see them. She'd been so afraid, after the incident with the frozen elves, that all the fairies and creatures like them were dead...she was glad that wasn't the case, though. So glad, in fact, that she completely lost track of time, and followed them a lot farther than she'd meant to. Now she was at this scary dark castle, and she couldn't help but wonder how she'd gotten there. The fairies were gone; it was just her, white pelt glowing under the moonlight, and wide blue eyes looking about wildly as she padded cautiously about the inside of the building. There were bits of the building coming down, and she skirted around large piles of rubble with a little whimper building in her throat, uncertain where she was or how to get back to where she'd come from.

This place wasn't helping, either; it was so dark and scary, so big, that Sophie couldn't help but wonder if she were alone in there, and her mind kept playing tricks on her, imagining moans and wails coming from far off, the sounds of slamming doors echoing down to her, footsteps behind her...It was truly terrifying. After only a little while of this, she couldn't take it anymore, and crawled into the nearest pile of rubble, squeezing in between the gaps in the rocks. She turned about in the small space within, and settled down, her wide eyes staring out at the empty hallway. "I'm not afraid...I'm not...I'm not..." She chanted, and laid her ears back against her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

Maybe if she tried hard enough, the whole thing would go away, and she'd wake up and be in Light's hut instead.

Vikas Limonchenko · 02-05-2012, 06:24 AM

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It was incredibly cold in the castle, even with his blankets tucked tightly around his body. The wind kept whistling through uncovered holes in the walls and ceilings, and he was fairly certain he could hear rats scuttling around. All in all, Vikas was not having a great night's sleep. He growled and flung his blankets onto the floor, rising from his bed like a vampire from a coffin. The wolf muttered incoherently as he got up, nearly tripping on an empty bottle of beer. His night had been spent drinking alone, presumably to celebrate his new independent lifestyle, but mostly out of loneliness and the terrible feeling that is homesickness. Now his head hurt and he was too sleepy to walk properly. It wasn't even light out yet, he wasn't prepared to deal with a hangover.

Vikas walked to the edge of his temporary bedroom, about to lean over and grab a piece of dried meat off a shelf, when he heard what sounded like a voice. He was uncertain whether the sound had actually been a voice or just more of the irritating wind, but he figured it was best to be safe and find out. He stepped outside of his room and looked down the hallway, not bothering to put on clothes just yet. He was too groggy to care about his appearance. He didn't see anyone. He rubbed his eyes, yawned loudly, and looked again. No, there was something there. He had definitely seen a movement by that pile of crumbled stone. He took another moment to conclude that there was a child somewhere over there. He slowly shifted from his bipedal form into his lupis form, grateful that he hadn't bothered to put anything on. The shift, which was normally painless, had somehow irritated his poor brain more, and aggravated his headache.

He padded down the hall, nails clicking loudly against the floor. "You alright over there?" he called out, cringing at the echo of his own voice. [/html]

Sophie Hughes · 02-05-2012, 06:39 AM

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Word Count → 375 :: Out of Character text.

Sophie continued to whimper quietly to herself, and had nearly worked up the courage to make a run for it, back the way she'd come, when sounds echoed from farther down the hall, a place she couldn't see. She froze, her heart trembling like a frightened rabbit's, and held her breath, her ears flattened against her skull as she tried her best to remain unnoticed. The sound of a bottle rolling along the stone floor caught her attention, and she squeezed her eyes shut, repeating her chant in her head, too frightened to say it aloud. "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid," She thought mindlessly, and had very nearly convinced herself it was nothing when the sound of someone moving reached her ears. She made a small, frightened noise, and it must have caught their attention, as she heard the clicking of claws on the stone floor soon after.

The words startled her, even more so than the claw-clicks had, and she cried out again, bending her head to cover it with her paws. She tried to fold herself into the pelt she wore, in an attempt to hide from the voice, but she couldn't, and finally decided that shuffling deeper into the rubble pile would have to be enough. "I'm not scared!" She shouted, and curled against the stones supporting most of the pile, staring at the small hole that lead out into the hallway. After a moment of quiet hesitation, she added more softly, " 'M...'M not scared. I'm lost..." She was scared, though, especially being so far from home, with a stranger out there. He could be anybody; he could do anything to her. Leon was too far away to hear her howling if she called out now. She realized she shouldn't have wandered off, and felt a little whimper building up in the back of her throat, as her eyes became glazed-over and glassy, filled with unshed tears. "I don't know where I am," She added, and curled in on herself a bit, trembling a little. "I was...following the fairies..."

But they were gone now, too, and she was left with a stranger who could turn out to be a troll for all she knew.

Vikas Limonchenko · 02-05-2012, 09:10 PM

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He came close to the pile of rubble and tilted his head, looking in at the little girl's hiding place. He was too big to go into the pile himself, at least, not without knocking everything over and probably crushing her with bricks in the process. So he sat where he was, waiting for her to show herself or run off. Vikas' ears flattened at her high-pitched yelling, but he didn't reprimand her. It normally wouldn't upset him, but his head wasn't up to it today. He was able to ignore it for a moment and smile a little at the kid's predicament. He had figured she was lost, but he was a little dismayed that he was not in a position to help her. Vikas was new to this place too, and he would have difficulty pointing her in the right direction if she needed help getting home. Hopefully her mama was close by.

He didn't understand what she meant by the fairies. Little kids tended to be imaginative, so she might have seen something and pretended they were fairies, or she was all screwy in the head and really thought she saw them. Either way, it didn't help him fix her situation. He really did want to help her though, he couldn't just go back to bed knowing that there was some scared little girl down the hall. "Well," he started, thinking to himself. "I'm kind of lost too." And he was, in a way. He still didn't have a pack, and had no idea how to start looking for one. He had taken it for granted as a pup that he was born into one. "But it's not so bad if you're not alone, right?" Vikas lowered his head, hoping to get a better look into her hidey spot. He thought back to his drinking last night. Loneliness was really the only thing to be afraid of, not spooky sounds at night or getting disoriented.

Vikas scuttled back a few steps to give her room. He stood up again, smiling. "I'm sure we can help each other out, just trust me," he said, in what he hoped was a convincing voice.
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Sophie Hughes · 02-06-2012, 06:02 PM

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Word Count → 333 :: Out of Character text.

She heard the male coming closer by the soft clacking of his claws against the flagstones, and backed away a bit more into her small hiding space. His face became visible a moment later, and she ducked her head and attempted to hide, though the little shafts of moonlight shining through cracks in the stone "ceiling" to alight along the white fur at her back, and brighten her eyes. She was very much more visible than she thought she was, and might have despaired, had she been aware of her problem in the first place.

He began speaking, his voice quieter and seeming to be mostly addressing himself. It was just a bit too soft for her to hear from where she was, and she scooted a bit closer to the entrance, just in time to understand the gist of what he was saying. He was lost too? Did that mean there was no hope of being found, in this dark place? She certainly hoped not. Before she could voice her growing fears, however, he asked his question, and she reeled back a bit, blinking curiously.

"Well..." She said, and eyed him curiously, shifting her paws uneasily. "I...I guess not," And it really wasn't as bad, she realized, because now she had someone to distract her when she began getting scared, someone to make the castle a little brighter. She scooted even closer to the entrance, poking her head out to blink at the stranger. She offered a meek little grin, her tail wagging slowly, and then crawled the rest of the way out of her hiding place, shaking herself a bit to rid herself of any debris. As the stranger promised they could help each other, and asked her to simply trust him, she pressed her ears back against her head, staring up at him with large eyes for a long moment before she nodded. " 'Kay," She agreed, and looked up at him hesitantly, waiting for him to take the lead.

Vikas Limonchenko · 02-07-2012, 12:58 AM

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OOC:

She spoke again, her voice just as tiny as her body. Vikas was still having difficulty seeing her, only getting a flash every once in a while until she inched toward the opening. It seemed like half of her head was just big ol' blue eyes, but he assumed there was a body somewhere in there too. The girl didn't sound entirely confident, but Vikas thought he was getting somewhere with her. Vikas often came off as a bit...crass, but he meant well. At least right now he did. He was trying to be a nice guy. A not-scary guy. He was immensely pleased when the pup crawled out of her makeshift den and showed herself. Vikas beamed, wagging his own tail behind him.

The girl was even tinier than he had thought, and twice as cute. Some sort of fur was wrapped around her body, it looked like a rabbit pelt. It only served to make her even fluffier looking, and a bit like a pint-sized adventurer. An odd charcoal-colored marking stretched its way over her muzzle, a remarkably detailed and elegant design. He had not been born with anything as beautiful, he had only added his own black swirling on his sides once he was old enough to do it himself. Vikas awaited the pup's reply, hoping she would accept his offer of friendship. He wondered to himself how well versed she was in "stranger danger". When he was her age, he had been encouraged to sound all alarms if he found any strangers. Of course, his pack was rather isolated and delighted in the chance to sink their teeth into foreign flesh. If he was lucky, Canada was a little friendlier.

Vikas smiled and nodded happily when she decided to give him a chance. He nearly gave her a congratulatory slap on the back, but stopped himself when he realized that not only was he in lupis form, but his "slap" would be like a hammer whacking down on a nail head. "Great!" he said cheerfully. He was quiet for a moment, not knowing how to act around someone so young and so fragile. The last time he had been around pups when was he was a pup, and that involved a lot of roughhousing. He didn't know how he was supposed to act around kids now, especially since being rough with her to show affection would probably just break her spine. Or make her cry. He wasn't sure which was worse. "Well uh.." he started, looking around as if for direction.

"Oh! Well I have some food stashed in my room, we can grab a bite to eat if you want. That way we'll be nourished for the trip," he said, turning around without waiting for a reply. He didn't want to wait and see if inviting a little girl into his room was too creepy or not. He figured if he acted like it was totally normal, she might buy it. It wasn't like he was actually a creepy kidnapper guy. Not that she knew that. Vikas walked down the hallway, waddling a bit like a bulldog because of his stocky build. He walked much more naturally in optime form. He took a sharp turn into his room, which was spacious and cold. The bed had only one blanket, and that was now thrown on the floor in a heap. Several duffel bags with clothes and trinkets spilling out of them lined the wall next to the door, and his balalaika rested against them. Vikas knocked a small parcel off of a wooden shelf on the wall with his front paw and let it fall to the floor. He nudged a piece of elk jerky out of the bag and gave a short nod toward it, urging her to have some.

Vikas Limonchenko

Sophie Hughes · 02-08-2012, 09:07 PM

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Word Count → 622 :: Out of Character text.

As she inched out of the hiding place she'd found, she couldn't help but notice that he was much bigger than he'd seemed from within. Her ears did an odd little dance atop her head, and she trembled a bit, before inching out further and dashing for the space between his paws. He couldn't get her from there, at least in her own mind; if he decided suddenly that he wanted to be a scarier wolf, she could just hide beneath his stomach until he tired himself out. Which wasn't realistic, but little Sophie didn't know that.

From her new place, she craned her neck around to inspect him. He had odd markings along his sides, and some on his face too, that sort of matched. She wondered if those were like her own family marking, tattooed onto his body, or if there was some other method of making them. Or, perhaps, they were natural? She was curious about them, but her attention was drawn away as he spoke. As he seemed to shift and not quite know where to go from here, Sophie pinned her ears back and waddled up to him, turning around so she faced him, rather than hiding between his paws.

Before she could suggest, rather timidly, that they start heading out, he said he had food, and Sophie's stomach rumbled in answer. She blushed, backing away a bit, and ducked her head shyly, even as she answered quietly, "Food sounds good." He began to lead the way down the hall, deeper into the building, and Sophie waddled after him, shifting a bit in her fur pelt as it began to loosen around her. It was sliding a bit as she walked now, and she twisted uncomfortably as she went, hoping it could perhaps be unwrapped when they got to his room. It really wasn't meant for traveling long distances, and Trigger had tied it so that she could sleep comfortably, not run about.

They reached his room with little trouble, and he went to get the promised food while Sophie looked around curiously. There was a bed, with only one blanket, and neither looked very comfortable. Then the bags lining the walls, and the strange instrument, one she'd never seen before. The curious pup stumbled over to it, pushing her nose against the wood curiously. The sound of something hitting the floor behind her made her jump, however, and she very quickly backed away from the stranger's things, her ears pinned back and a guilty look on her face. It was only the male pulling food off one of the shelves, though, and as he nudged a piece toward her she came forward, her little nose twitching.

"Um, thank you," She said, the words phrased as more of a question, because this certainly didn't look like any food she'd ever had. It tasted good, though, if a bit dry, and she munched happily on the piece he'd given her, flopping down on the ground to roll about with the jerky strip hanging out of her mouth. As she finished it, though, her previous discomfort became known to her again, and she whined a bit, getting back to her feet.

"Hey, can you shiftin--er, shift?" She asked curiously, and wiggled a bit uncomfortably. "M' pelt is loose," Was added as an explanation, though it really wasn't much of one, as she didn't know whether he actually could, and if he could shift, whether or not he knew how to tie a pelt. Trigger had taken a few tries to get it to sit right, so she may just have to go without it for the trip back. That was okay too, though; she wouldn't get cold. Right?

Vikas Limonchenko · 02-08-2012, 11:29 PM

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OOC: shawl

Vikas found her antsy behavior amusing, comparing her temperament to his own when he was her age. There was very little Vikas had feared when he was her age, which had actually led to numerous dangerous situations. He didn't think it was such a bad thing that the girl was overly cautious. Although he had given her little time or choice to answer, the loud growling of her stomach was hard to miss. He was glad he had turned his back to her, as he didn't want her to see the chuckle and stupid smile he was trying to hide. Once they reached his room, she started poking around, but he didn't care if she touched his stuff. There was nothing particularly fancy or fragile laying around. The girl took a bite of food, although she was pretty hesitant. Vikas wished he had fresh meat for her, but he had no way of storing it just yet. He had stocked up on large parcels of jerky so he could have something to snack on during all his traveling. Once he had a permanent place to stay he could start hunting again and get real food.

Vikas sat down on the cold floor, gnawing on a piece of meat while he watched the blue-eyed pup roll around with hers. His ears shot up at the girl's small whine. He cocked his head, listening to her problem intently. The boy was incredibly relieved that the problem was something he could actually help with. He didn't know what he would have done if it was a serious problem and she started crying. Eugh. The grey male looked at her pelt and nodded. It was had slipped off to the side, giving her a disheveled appearance. It looked like the rabbit was still alive, and desperately scrabbling to stay on the girl's body. "I am an expert shifter," he assured her. Vikas stepped back, allowing plenty of room for his morph. He became more hunched over as his body grew and his limbs lengthened. The fur on his body became a shorter, more manageable length while his mane grew thicker and darker, although not in the style he usually kept his hair. It always came out rather messy just after he shifted. Vikas growled lowly to himself, the shift once again set his headache back into full swing. He sat up in a kneeling position, rubbing his temples. He left his mussed up hair as it was.

"Now, what have we got here," he murmured, reaching out to untie the knots that kept the pelt on her back. His fingers were a bit too thick and stubby for this sort of thing, but it was better than just trying to use his teeth in lupis form. He struggled to get the knot untied in the first place. Finally he got it loose, and set it back on her body properly. He wrapped the rabbit's ex-legs around her chest and waist, trying to copy the original pattern. He fit it snugly around her body, careful not to squeeze her too badly. Vikas tied the knots again, but it didn't look very secure. He let go and leaned back, inspecting his handiwork. "Eh, I'm not so sure about this," he said apologetically. The pelt itself looked warm and comfortable, but it just wouldn't stay on.

Vikas frowned, then held up a single finger to tell her to wait for a moment. He plunged into a bag to his right, tossing bits of clothes into messy piles around him. Finally he found what he was looking for. He pulled a long piece of black and red cloth out and flopped it on his lap to show it off. It was a thin cotton fabric, but beautifully designed with poppies and colorful frills scattered about. It was from his grandma, back when his family lived in Russia, but he didn't tell the young luperci that. "Here, this should help," he said, twisting the shawl into a long rope. He tied it around the wolf's belly, making a neat little bow on top with the extra length. He smiled, proud of his work this time. "There, now are you all ready to travel?" He asked happily. "Point me in the direction you came from, if you can."

Vikas Limonchenko

Sophie Hughes · 02-09-2012, 08:26 PM

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Word Count → 866 :: That was quick thinking. ;D

He was far less active in his eating of the jerky, just eating it instead of playing with it as she did. Sophie didn't think it was any fun to just eat it, though, and as she grew accustomed to the taste, Sophie decided that she very much liked the strip hanging out of her mouth. Without further adieu, she rolled onto her back and chomped it to bits, choking them down in large pieces as she wiggled on the dusty flagstones, making her pelt both dirty, and loosened further. After her "kill" was finished, she rolled to her feet, licking her paws clean happily. It was quite delicious, even the somewhat dirty remnants left in her fur, and she licked them clean despite the somewhat odd taste, making sure to get every drop in case the stranger, like Terra, would decide that she needed a bath. Sophie didn't want a bath just then; they were in a hurry, or at least she was; she had to get back before Leon noticed she was gone.

Knowing her family, she was almost positive Boothe would have woken him up the minute she was gone.

Her thoughts were disrupted as the grey wolf assured her he was an expert shifter, and then proceeded to display his abilities. Sophie climbed to her haunches, wagging her tail happily as he shifted. She watched the process avidly, and was especially fascinated with the mane around his neck and head growing longer. Much longer; at least, longer than she'd ever seen. Sophie had seen shifting only once before, and that had been from the two-legged form to the four-legged one. The opposite process was much more fascinating, and as he finished, ending up rather hunched over, she scampered over to him, her nose twitching curiously. He growled, though, and Sophie assumed the sound was toward her, causing her to skitter away again, hunching down to the floor with wide eyes, her ears pinned down. He seemed to get over whatever had bugged him a moment later, as he came toward her to examine the loosened pelt.

She sat up immediately, balancing on her haunches and then, carefully, lifting one paw, and then the other to hold against her chest, raising herself up a little so that he could get a good look at the knots over her chest and stomach. He began to fiddle with them, and she ducked her head, twisting it a little to try and see what he was doing, but in doing so she nearly fell over, so she quickly had to pick; let him work, or watch him. Sophie quickly straightened her head again, resuming her balancing position. Trigger promised he would teach her how to put it on herself, anyway, as soon as she could shift, too. Sophie hoped it would come soon.

As he straightened out the pelt and retied it around her chest and belly, she wiggled a bit, testing the security of the knots, and then slowly lowered herself to the ground again. It felt a little bit loose, but if she was careful, it probably wouldn't slip. It was tied more in the "blanket" knots Trigger did, the ones that were loose enough for her to squirm about comfortably in her sleep. Her new friend didn't appear to be satisfied with this, though, and she clambered to her feet as he went to search through his belongings. She shifted her feet curiously, craning her neck this way and that to try and see what he was looking for.

Bits of clothes were piled around him, and then he spread something out on his lap, prompting the young adventurer to come forward to his side. The cloth he'd spread out was beautiful, and she made a soft sound in her throat, like a purr, which said she very much liked the pretty cloth. He proceeded to twist it into a rope, and she tilted her head, confused, until he moved to tie it around her stomach. Sophie wasn't sure what position would be easiest for him, so simply held very still, her tail wagging a couple times before it stopped, pausing suddenly in midair. When he had finished, adding a cute bow on top, her tail started up again, and she twisted around, looking at the pretty cloth tied around her middle. Vikas sounded pleased with his work, and Sophie nodded happily as he requested she point him in the direction she came from, very much ready to head back. As she wandered back out into the hall, however, Sophie found to her dismay that she couldn't even tell which direction she'd walked to get to his room. Sophie didn't want to tell her friend that, though, so she picked at random, hoping she was going the right way. "Um, this way," She chirped, and set off, her tail wagging happily.

After she passed a familiar pile of rubble, she picked up the pace, confident now that she was going the right way, and was soon running down the hall, tumbling happily as she lead the way out. Or getting them more lost; she was too excited to tell the difference.

Vikas Limonchenko · 02-10-2012, 12:25 AM

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OOC:

Vikas was too focused on his shift and his aching head to notice that he had frightened the girl. If he had realized she jumped back because of him, he would have been absolutely horrified. His remedy for it probably would have been overzealous apologizing and loudly assuring her he wasn't mad, which would sound a bit like a roaring grizzly bear. The young luperci was incredibly cooperative as he fiddled with her clothing, and Vikas was actually pretty impressed. Her only wiggling seemed to be her attempts to look at what was going on. When he displayed his shawl on his lap, he heard the little noise she made, and it made his heart absolutely swell with joy. As a matter of fact, he very much so liked that shawl too.

The girl wagged to show her approval, and all was well. She walked back out into the hallway, Vikas following dutifully. He didn't know that she had already gotten lost, especially because she had miraculously happened to choose the right direction. He felt a little weird towering above her in optime form, but she didn't seem too bothered by it. He had wrongly assumed that she would be intimidated by talking to someone so much larger than her. He obviously wasn't the first optime she had seen. They passed the pile of rocks she had been hiding out in, and the pup sped up as if someone had just shuffled around in their socks on the carpet and zapped her rear. Vikas laughed, picking up the pace himself. His strides were much larger than hers, but now that she was practically galloping away, even he had to quicken his pace.

He speed-walked down the hall, recognizing most of the rooms they passed on the way. He had already done plenty of exploring on his own in the castle before settling down in his room. "So what's your name, little one? I'm Vikas." He wasn't sure how to start a proper conversation with a kid. He liked pups, sure, but he just didn't know how to act around them. He figured this was a safe starting point though.

Vikas Limonchenko

Sophie Hughes · 02-10-2012, 12:42 AM

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Word Count → 444:: OOC here!

The male followed her, and Sophie found herself more comfortable with him in Optime form, rather than less. Daire had rarely used his two-legged form to punish them; the worst association she had with that form was a few spankings and being carried long distances by her scruff, a rather painful memory to be sure, but not all that frightening. Leon spent most of his time on two legs, and now Trigger did, too, which only left the pup more comfortable with them, as they reminded her less and less of the tyrant she'd grown up with. Of course, she was by no means grown, and the memory of her father was already fading from her mind, but her subconscious found all sorts of ways to associate the world with those first few terrifying weeks.

As they continued on, Sophie lifted her nose to the air, her ears quivering as she attempted to find the way out. It seemed she was going the right way after all, though, as she could smell cold, fresh air, and feel the breeze ruffling her fur the closer they got to the entrance. She nearly lost her concentration as Vikas spoke, introducing herself, and only responded with an intelligent, "Huh?" Before she blinked and paused at an intersection. "Oh! Um, I'm Sophie," She said, and turned to grin at him, before taking off down the hall again, her tail waving behind her happily. As she saw moonlight up ahead, and the beginnings of a beautiful dawn, Sophie couldn't help but start braying, as she'd found her "prey." She'd discovered this habit a few days earlier, and she didn't bother trying to stop it, as it was a part of her self, and she liked herself the way she was.

The cold air became immediately apparent as she dashed out into the rocky hills beyond. As she began shivering slightly from the cold, Sophie padded her way into the moonlight, glancing around with her eyes bright in her skull for anything familiar about the area. It didn't look familiar, though, and she remembered coming through a set of large doors, not the small one she'd just run out of. Still, being outside was better than being trapped inside, and she spun around to grin at Vikas, shifting her paws eagerly. "I followed the moon when I went e'sploring! So..." She paused, blinking a moment, and then brightened again. "So we go away from it now, right?" She hoped that was right. She'd never been much good at directions, but since she'd come to live with Leon, Sophie had discovered that they were rather an important thing to know.

Sophie speaks Boothe Speaks

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Vikas Limonchenko · 02-10-2012, 02:37 AM

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OOC:

Sophie. It suited her, he thought. It sounded like a blend between soft and sofa, which conjured an image of something very cuddly indeed. She bounded forward, calling out like a coonhound on the scent. Vikas couldn't stop himself from grinning, finding the whole thing more than a little adorable. They finally exited the castle, although not through the entrance he had expected. The pup looked around, obviously not as confident as she had looked within the building. Vikas waited anxiously for her to speak, wondering if they were already screwed. He cheered up when she offered a rather helpful tidbit.

"That was smart of you to remember," he praised. The boy tilted his head back to look at the moon. It was almost full, and well on its way back to the horizon again. "The moon rises in the east," Vikas explained, eyes still on the sky, "and it sets in the west. If the moon is full, it should be pointed south at around midnight. The moon isn't quite full, and I don't know what time you left your home, but I would guess you were heading southeast-ish if you were following the moon." He looked down at Sophie, giving her a little smile. "You're right that we should do the opposite. I think we should head northwest, and see if you can't find anything familiar along the way."

He looked up at the sky again, finally settling on the North Star. "The moon moves a lot though, so it's easier to find directions by the North Star. It never moves, and it always points north, so if you follow it you always know where you're going." Vikas was not an expert on astronomy, or navigation, for that matter. He did know some of the basics at least. Normally he just relied on his memory or scent trails, but that wouldn't work very well for him tonight. Maybe if he was older and had more experience he could track Sophie's path by smell, but right now he couldn't do it with Sophie herself walking right beside him. Everything would smell like Sophie to him. "The North Star is pretty easy to find. First you look for the Big Dipper, it's a constellation that looks kinda like a pot." Hopefully she had seen a pot before. He didn't know how humanized her life was. Vikas pointed at the stars, although it was usually hard to tell where people were pointing at when it was something as vague and open as space.

"Follow the stars from the handle of the pot to the other side. Then follow the corner of the pot up until you hit the North Star." He traced the path with his finger. "It gets easier the more you do it," he added. Sometimes the stars were kind of hard to see. It had taken him several tries as a pup before he could do it himself. And hell, maybe she already knew all this. He was just guessing that she didn't because looking at the North Star wasn't her immediate course of action.

Vikas Limonchenko

Sophie Hughes · 02-10-2012, 09:35 PM

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Word Count → 483 :: Out of Character text.

As he praised her fine memory, Sophie perked up, her little tail wagging against her back as it curled over her haunches. As he continued, explaining the way the moon moved across the sky, Sophie's eyes brightened, and her ears remained perked atop her head. It rose in the east, and set in the west; she would have to remember that. As he mentioned another direction, however--the moon pointed south at midnight--her head became simply too full of new knowledge, and she had to toss that bit out. It didn't matter what direction it pointed at midnight, right? And now that she knew East and West, she could surely figure out the other directions. Right?

Vikas pointed out which way they should go, and explained that she'd been heading southeast, so they should go northwest. Sophie nodded, and then hovered uncertainly on her feet, waiting for him to point out which direction they should go. His navigation lesson wasn't finished, though, and he told her about the North Star, and something called the Big Dipper. Sophie followed his arm in vain, trying to find the "constipation" he spoke of, and from there the star he was talking about. She saw nothing, though, only a slightly brighter star than most, and she was rather sure it wasn't the North star. Especially because she was facing east.

Pressing her ears back, she glanced up at Vikas doubtfully, and then added more hesitantly, "I don't see any, er, sky-pictures," she said, and looked up to try and pick them out again. There was nothing there, though, only bright little dots, and she wasn't entirely sure what a pot was, anyway. She could only hope that someone back home would be able to help her more with this, as it seemed very useful to know; for now, though, she was more concerned with actually getting home than what she might learn when she got there. As he finished pointing out the star they were to follow, she squinted at the area, and then laid her ears back tighter, cocking her head a bit. There was still nothing there, at least that she could see; but if that was north, and the moon set in the west, she knew which direction to turn to. She settled her body facing a vaguely northwestern direction, and after a quick glance at Vikas to make sure that was right, she set off at a much slower pace than before.

After a moment, the silence got to her as well, and she swiveled an ear toward her companion, blinking somewhat sleepily. "So...who're you? Like, where d'you live, and...stuff?" She wasn't good at making conversation, that much was clear; but he hadn't asked the sorts of questions most adults did, and she wanted to get to know him before she went home, and probably never saw him again.

Vikas Limonchenko · 02-12-2012, 07:40 AM

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OOC:

Vikas looked down when Sophie spoke, but was dismayed to see that she didn't quite get it. He couldn't blame her or call her stupid, he had already thought to himself how it had been tricky for him at the start too. Not to mention he still was nowhere near being an expert on astronomy. He just felt guilty for not being a better teacher. He would have tried again to make it clearer, but he knew she had to get going. "That's ok," he said with an understanding smile. "It's kinda hard to see. But I'll be here with you, so you don't need to know this all by heart just yet." She did seem to understand the general idea though, because she was able to point herself in the right direction. Vikas was inwardly joyful for that. He nodded reassuringly when she gave him a questioning look, and then she moved forward.

He followed, noting that she wasn't as speedy as she had been before. This trip might take a while. No matter to him, he didn't have any plans for the day. With the headache that didn't feel like going away coupled with a growing feeling of nausea, he was pretty sure he was just going to spend the day sleeping once he got back. He was confident he'd be fine for the journey to Sophie's home, but that was all the activity he felt like doing. The male was busy thinking of his own physical condition when his companion piped up again. He felt slightly ashamed for not worrying about her for a few moments.

Vikas smirked, recognizing the same social awkwardness that had brought about his own clumsy conversation starters. Normally he was completely comfortable striking up a conversation with absolute strangers, but it was harder to connect with someone that seemed so very different. "Well, I don't live anywhere, for starters. I used to live way southwest of here, in America, but it got kind of boring. So here I am. I'm looking for a new life, but I don't know where to go," he spoke, hoping that was sufficient. It was a little hard to come up with a satisfying answer to what he was doing right now. That was all she had specifically asked for, since 'stuff' was a bit nebulous. But Vikas knew that was a bit bland. "I don't do much right now, mostly just exploring and treasure-hunting I guess." That made him sound sort of like a pirate. He grinned. Alright, being a pirate wasn't so bad. Better than a whiny young homeless guy.

He looked down at his little four-legged pal. "And who are you?" he asked in return.

Vikas Limonchenko

Sophie Hughes · 02-13-2012, 08:53 PM

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Word Count → 425 :: Out of Character text.

Sophie brightened a bit as he promised he'd be there with her, so she didn't have to learn it quite yet; still, she kept an eye on the sky, trying to figure out what he was looking at to keep them on track. She made sure to keep facing the same direction, though, and when the rocks began to look familiar, she picked up the pace a bit, clambering over ledges and avoiding fallen trees and prickly bushes. She was traveling much the same path as she had on the way down, though climbing up was a bit harder than she'd imagined. At the top of a small rise, Sophie had to stop for a moment and catch her breath, thinking somewhat sourly that being tiny sure sucked.

As Vikas spoke up about where he lived, and what he did lately, Sophie turned her ears toward him, blinking slightly. Exploring and treasure-hunting sounded fun, that was for sure! She was a bit sad that her new friend didn't have anywhere specific to live. Sophie would have offered to let him move in with them, but she wasn't entirely sure Leon would appreciate that, or Light, who actually owned their current home. Instead she said, somewhat quietly, " 'M sorry...I don't really live 'nywhere, neither! Least, not a home," She added, thinking somewhat sadly of their den in Ethereal Eclipse. That had been a home, the first one she'd ever had, at least. She was somewhat sad to have left it, and though she was happy living with light, her first home would always hold a place in her heart.

As he questioned her, Sophie blinked slowly, and then paused to think about it. "Erm, well..." She began, and then turned to look at her friend curiously, her ears wiggling atop her head. "I don't do much...We live in AniWaya with Mister Light now, but I miss my old home in the forest. We did a lot more stuff there," She added with a little droop of her ears, and then had to pause to clamber over another rock, struggling a little as the sharp edge scraped against her stomach. Once she was over that hurdle and on the way to the next one, she continued. "We been spendin' lotsa time at the festival, though! It's fun." She rather enjoyed the festival, and was of the opinion that everyone should go.

As she began struggling over another rocky ledge, she swiveled an ear toward her friend, and asked curiously, "So...is treasure-hunting fun?"

Vikas Limonchenko · 02-20-2012, 10:30 PM

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OOC: I tried posting to this earlier, but managed to accidentally delete an entire post and got frustrated. xD

Sophie sped up, and Vikas followed suit. The pace wasn't all that comfortable for him, as all his body really wanted was for him to go back to sleep and stay in bed for the next ten hours. But he took it as a good sign, since it meant the little girl was starting to recognize the path home, and it meant they would reach her destination sooner. He remembered what it was like to get stranded away from home as a pup, and he knew how vital it was for her to get back to her family. As soon as Vikas got used to the new speed, she had to stop and take a rest.

The wolf hybrid seemed so interested in what he had to say, and he felt a bit flattered. Perhaps she only acted that way because he was the only company she had, but hey, the attention felt good anyway. He returned the favor and listened to her intently. Vikas was alarmed that the girl said she didn't have a home. He was homeless by choice, having left his own pack in search of an adventure. But she was too young to not have a stable home. He was concerned, but didn't say anything. It wouldn't do any good to get her all worked up about it. Sophie continued, and her situation ended up sounding better. He didn't know who "Mister Light" was, but AniWaya sounded like a pack name and living in a pack was always good. Vikas wanted to ask her more about the pack, seeing as he was on a hunt for one to join, but he kept his trap shut until she finished speaking.

The boy gave no sign of being dismayed at her reminiscing, although he was. He felt sorry for her, but didn't want to get into some sappy emotion-fest. He figured if he gave her time, she'd move on to a happier subject. Vikas watched silently as Sophie struggled over the jagged rocks with the efficiency of a tortoise crawling through quicksand. He wanted to pick her up and carry her, but he figured that was too creepy for a strange male to do for a little kid. He stored the idea in the back of his mind to bring up later if she continued to have difficulties. As it was, the tan critter kept marching on, as if it hadn't bothered her a bit.

She brought up the festival, which was answered by an intrigued perk of his ears. He had heard of the festival from Fleta, but he didn't know much about it. He had been considering checking it out, but got lost on the way and ended up exploring old castles instead. Perhaps there was still time to investigate. Sophie ended with a considerate little question about himself, which Vikas took as an obligatory question to be polite. Not that it bothered him, he found that rather endearing. "Yeah, it's fun. You can find all sorts of doodads you didn't even know you needed. A lot of it is junk though, unless you use your imagination." Vikas was a bit like a raccoon in this aspect, any shiny little thing was stolen and stashed away, even if he knew there was no actual use for it. Even the bags of crap he'd been carrying around were just a fraction of all the things he had stored up at home.

"It sounds like you're quite busy, what with moving and going to festivals," he said happily. Hell, she'd accomplished more than he had. "What's AniWaya like? Do you like it there?" he asked, tilting his head curiously. It was part genuine interest in her well-being, and part research for his own future home. Ok, so honestly it was mostly about him. But she didn't know that.

Vikas Limonchenko

Sophie Hughes · 02-23-2012, 05:13 PM

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Word Count → 559 :: FFFUUUU I hate when that happens. D:

He listened just as intently as she had, and Sophie felt herself stumbling over the words a bit, not quite used to people paying attention when she said things. He looked a little shocked when she explained that she didn't have a home, but as she went further, he looked more relaxed. Sophie didn't really consider Light's house her home; and even the one being built for her family wasn't all that great. She missed sleeping in a den, and that was always where she'd be most comfortable, she thought. She managed to climb a little farther as they went up the hill before she had to rest, and as she did she turned to him, her ears swiveling atop her head curiously. Nothing really happened though, and so she soldiered on, her tail swishing behind her as she climbed. She struggled a bit, but she was used to that; all she could think of at the moment, however, was how much easier it had been to come down.

After she'd struggled up a few feet more, she flopped down on a rock, panting slightly as she waved her tail. It was in this moment that her strange new friend began speaking, answering her question. She hadn't meant it as a polite thing; she was, in fact, curious. But she didn't realize he thought she'd meant it as anything else, so her tail wagged even as her eyes shone with the prospects. "I'd love to do that! Couldja imagine all the neat things we could find? 'Specially 'cause I'm so small." She chattered excitedly, her eyes turning up to him with hope. If he thought she could do it, she probably could; after all, he was the treasure-hunter here.

She picked up her struggle again, bracing her feet and then beginning a slow hop up the hill, until she came to a rock, which caused her to begin struggling again. As she did, Vikas spoke again, and she brightened once more, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she did so. "Um, yeah! Really busy," She agreed, and then had to pause and think as he asked about AniWaya. She stopped completely as she thought, hanging off the rounded edges of the rock as she considered the question.

"Well," She said thoughtfully, and began climbing again, wrinkling her nose a bit. "I don't...see much of the pack, y'know? 'Cause we're like...guests. Not part of 'em." She explained, and had to pause again to think, though this time her feet kept moving. She was getting into a groove. "Um...the pack lands are sorta cool, though! They got a stable and a river, and they live in little huts, like...umm...ind'ans!" She chirped, and waved her tail some more, before she stepped down on a prickly bush and had to stop, yelping a bit with the pain.

She sat down, looking at her front paw with a dismayed expression. It was right in her toe, and it hurt to even move it, let alone keep walking. Whimpering slightly, she bent to try and nuzzle it out, but the sticker was in there deep, and she shortly resulted to turning to her friend with wide, water-filled eyes. "I can't get it out." She whined, and shook her paw a bit, feeling miserable.

Sophie speaks Boothe Speaks

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Vikas Limonchenko · 02-25-2012, 01:29 AM

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OOC:

Their journey was very stop and go. Vikas tried not to let her see that he was noticing how awful she was at climbing the hill. Actually, for someone her size and age, she was doing quite well. But for anyone that was bigger than a house cat, the going was rough. It didn't bother Vikas so much as worry him. That worry in turn, made him frustrated. He wasn't normally a worrywart, so having any feeling of concern towards someone else was just annoying and unnecessary. But she was so small! He wondered how it was that she hadn't already fallen down a mole hole and gotten lost forever.

Sophie was rather enthusiastic about the treasure-hunting topic. Vikas grinned, his tail wagging softly behind him. "You could probably find tons of precious leftovers that other people missed," he added. There were bound to be all sorts of jewelry, gems, and other tiny items that were easy to gloss over. Vikas could think of a number of times where he had seen potential hiding places for valuables that he simply couldn't fit in. He watched her hop and clamber her way over the rocks again, making him think how entertaining it might be if he were a third party. It was wrong to be amused at her now that he was actually talking to her, but he could still see how it could look rather silly. Vikas, in the meantime, strode easily over the uneven ground with minimal effort. He pondered the thought of puppy races in his mind. It would be great for betting, if unethical.

He listened to her answer on AniWaya, responding with silent nods to show that he understood. He was a little disappointed. He had hoped to gain more information on the pack, but as she had tried to say before, she really didn't have a home there. Still, the little girl was more knowledgeable about it than he was. It didn't sound very much like the sort of place he was looking for, but he knew he was in no position to turn up his nose at a new home. The reference to Indians (or, ind'ans as she had called them) was curious, he wondered how much the child knew about the world before luperci. Vikas himself was fairly uneducated on that topic, but at least he could read. He had met a traveler once that had seen an old museum on Indians of the Midwest, but that was his only source of information on that subject.

"Well I hope they treat you well, it sounds like a nice place to stay," he said, although still wasn't too wild about the idea of living in a little hut. He had barely managed to get his sentence out when Sophie stomped on a pile of needles. Vikas jumped at the sound of her yelp. He instantly knelt down to look at her, his eyes wide with alarm and fear. What was he going to do if she was seriously hurt? He watched her as she fiddled with her wounded toe, feeling a bit like a child watching a beetle on its back try to roll over. Not surprisingly, the pup was having difficulty. "C'mere," he commanded, reaching out to grab her paw gingerly. Vikas lowered his head, inspecting the wound carefully.

Sure enough, a little pointy spine from the bush had lodged itself into her flesh. He carefully pinched his fingers together and tugged on it, knowing it must not have felt very pleasant for the victim. He flicked the teensy sticker back onto the ground, leaving it for someone else to accidentally step on. "The AniWayans would be impressed," he joked. "That's just like getting hit with a tiny arrow. You've got battle wounds now, girly," he said with a loud laugh. Finally he felt it was appropriate to suggest what he had been wanting to ask for a while now. "Do you want me to carry you for a bit?" he offered, extending his arms to create a little seat for her if she accepted.

Vikas Limonchenko

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