About two weeks after the weird ‘festival’ thing, Tawny had crafted a sled of sorts out of a few handfuls of long strong sticks, vines, moss and a few skins. Almost all of her packs fit tied down on it, and all she had to do was strap a rope around her waist and shoulders, shift into her halfling form…and it was relatively easy to pull around. Of course, she now had another creature to look after, the little foal she’d taken on after killing its mother and the cat that had attached them. After a few days of traveling with the little thing, she’d named it Kipp, and found out that it was indeed a female as well.
A little over a month after Tawny had taken the baby in; it had grown taller and gained much muscle. Thankfully it had already been weaned from milk and was used to nibbling on tree bark and the plants that they could find. The small brown woman was good at finding large bushes and would strip the leaves from them for the baby, creating large meals throughout the day, every day. She didn’t believe in letting anyone starve just because she didn’t exactly know how to take care of them.
Presently, the two were trotting along side by side, the filly hooked up to the sled this time. She was getting big enough to pull it, and didn’t really have a problem with doing so. Tawny sifted to her two legged form and took quite a few heavier things onto her back, then put everything else onto the sled and crafted a harness to drape down over the pony’s chest, neck and shoulders. There would be no choking, but instead a solid piece that could handle the force of her smallish body pulling forward. The wolf made sure that it wouldn’t be breaking or wearing out anytime soon.
The smell of other Luperci had been floating in the air recently, and while tawny liked being alone and ungoverned…she was really missing company and friendship that she could talk to. Sure she could talk to Kipp, and sometimes the pony understood certain words, but it just wasn’t the same at all. Thus began the search for pack borders. Perhaps she’d be able to visit with the pack for a while and see if she got along with everyone. Then maybe joining up would be a good idea, at least for a little while.
The borders were clearly marked, and Tawny grinned happily when she saw the beautifully decorated tree. Ruffling her hands in the foal’s mane, she dropped her bags and took the roped away from the pony, allowing the growling, gangly creature to run around freely. Flopping down and leaning against the bags, she tossed her head back and howled long and loud. It was a very friendly sound, hoping to get one of the pack members to come find her.
Aylu had just finished putting a book together when he heard the call. It had taken a while to find a usable book in the bookstore Orin had told him about. It hadn't been used in a while and he had decided instead of fixing up the house he had met Orin at he would fix up and live up stairs in the book store. He was going to have to Skye about it but he really wanted to fix it up, restock it and make it worth coming to.
He wasn't yet able to let people in the boarders but he wanted to make as many friends as he could. He jogged to the boarders and found a woman with a filly and a cat. He approached slowly and smiled. "Hello Miss. I am Aylu, artist of Cercatori d'arte. How may I help you today?" he said with a smile. She didn't seem too threatening and he hoped she would want to stay . The pack could always need new faces.
Word Count → 414 :: Your post is good, no worries.
Another day, another unsuccessful hunt. Although the number of successful hunts had risen recently, it was still frustrating to return home with no food to speak of. Not to mention it only put pressure on Fawkes, the only competent hunter in their little family. During her hunting trip Hotaru and Fawkes had stayed relatively close to the pack lands thus their return trip home was easy. The lupus formed female moved through the dark forest with completely ease. Fawkes sat on her back and kept a look out to make sure that she didn't run into anything, however the path was well worn and it was one Hotaru often used to travel.
Just as the pair were nearing the boarders a howl rung out. Fawkes shifted a little on her back as he craned his head to listen. Hotaru red-tipped ears flicked and she turned her head, recognizing the direction of the boarder tree. Confusion wavered in the grey wolf's mind, why would anyone howl? The boarders had been open for three weeks. Surely there was no reason to howl. Soon curiosity won out and Hotaru traveled toward the boarder tree. She didn't often go to the boarder tree, there was no reason for her too. It was just a big tree, and it's not like she could see the paintings anyways.
By the time Hotaru had arrived there were two canine scents lingering next to the tree. One was distinctly a loner, while the other smelled slightly of pack. The new member most likely. Hotaru had picked up on their scent in Thornberry, although she never went to go say hi. Really, meeting new people was difficult for her because they always asked the same uncomfortable questions. Among the scents of the two canines hung the scent of a horse.
When the grey wolf approached the strangers she managed to catch the last words spoken by a male. Hotaru guessed it was the new member. Why else would he ask such a question? "The boarders are open stranger, you are free to enter the pack lands. Pardon my intrusion, but please, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Hotaru, the Immaginazione." Hotaru's voice was calm and polite while her expression remained neutral to hide her feelings. In reality Hotaru wanted to laugh at the pair for not realizing something that had been obvious to everyone else.
Kipp ran around the beautiful tree, squealing and kicking her heels happily for a while before going over to roll in the light layer of snow near the woman. Leaning over, Tawny stroked her hands over the mini-horse’s side, cooing softly to the young thing. She knew creating a bond with the creature was important, and they were already well on their way to being best friends. It was an easy, effortless relationship, especially once they got rid of the mother horses’ carcass, ridding the foal’s mind of the terror. The wolf was now her mother, her source of love and comfort and safety, and she needed nothing more than that.
About a half hour passed before anyone showed up, but Tawny was content to just sit there and wait. Her head tilted up when the soft sound of paws came from nearby, alerting her to the presence of a pack member. Smiling happily, Tawny stood up and stretched, her jaws parting in a soft yawn. That smile dropped when she was approached by a male on two legs. For some reason Tawny hadn’t even thought about WHO would be coming to find her, and she’d forgotten completely that it could be a male just as well as a female. Watching him with wide eyes, she took a few steps back and crouched slightly, nervous now. Ever since the ordeal with Fang and the coyote had gone down, she had been fearful of the males, despite Matteo and Alaki’s kindness in saving her.
Ears drooping to the sides, she sighed and rubbed her face with both hands, suddenly not only nervous, but a bit self conscious as well. I…w-was just wondering if I could…come visit? Her eyes flicked up and took the man in, catching that his name was Aylu…interesting name, it sounded pretty. Before she could say anything else, another wolf came trotting up, this one was clearly a female, and Tawny visibly relaxed. Her eyes were blank, obviously not seeing a thing, and Tawny’s spirits fell a bit. The poor woman was blind, sightless in a place of such beauty, it was very sad. Thank you Aylu, Hotaru…I hadn’t realized your pack is open to visitors…I apologize for disturbing you.
Kipp decided that it was the perfect time to resume her insane running and rolled to her feet, whinnying and trotting around the small brown furred woman happily. Tawny was glad that the sky was darkening, the male probably wouldn’t be able to see her ugly scars. Yipping softly, she called to the pony and strapped her up to the sled once again, looking up at the other wolves with hopeful eyes. So…does this mean I can come visit? I’ve not been in a pack for months and miss the company of having others around.
Aylu smiled. "Well I guess it means you can. I am new to this pack and don't understand much of the ways of pack life. This is my first time meeting Hotaru. We are in the same class right?" he asked the woman in lupus form. He was caught off guard when he noticed the woman was blind. How in the heck did she even get here? Aylu looked at her sympathetically. Maybe he should leave the two women to bond.
"I think I'll take my leave. Let you two bond or what ever it is females do. I am still not really used to greeting others and talking much. I am still very new to being around others. I hope I am not bothering you..." he said as the filly nudged him
On the inside, Hotaru was smiling. However, her exterior did not reveal the she wolf's inner thoughts. Ever since the attack, Hotaru had refused to reveal her true feelings. Around other's she wore a polite mask, one that was nearly impenetrable. She didn't trust other canines enough to let them into her world. It seemed to her that every time she lowered her guard, someone was there to betray her. Her brother had stolen her sight. Cain, who had originally rescued her, had abandoned her in unfamiliar territory. Light, the wolf she had loved, disappeared without a trace. Without Terra and Fawkes, her world would be incredibly lonely.
Hotaru waited politely as both stranger's spoke over the frolicking sounds of the filly. Their questions were valid, although simple. "It's no bother really. I was just on my way back from hunting anyways. It is as Aylu said, you are free to enter. Just so that you both know, the invitation isn't permanent. The boarders will close again in a few weeks, so enjoy your stay." Hotaru's attention turned towards her new pack mate. "If you are in the traditional class then yes, we are in the same class."
Aylu's sudden instance on leaving startle Hotaru, although she only showed it in the flick of her tail. Leaving them to bond? To do what females do? What was that about. Hotaru wanted to roll her eyes or snap at him. He wasn't bothering her before, but his comment sure did. Instead of chewing him out, the blind wolf gave him a single nod. Whatever he did was fine by her, it wasn't like they were friends or anything.
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