i want nothing between us
#1
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Word Count :: 697 Forward-dating this to the beginning of June, but it's welcome for anyone. <3 Some hostility is fine if it comes to that, but I'd obviously prefer no fights! Tl;dr version is that worried Vesper and her raven are at the borders.

“Not being good idea,” the raven chided as the coyote slipped through the vegetation, padding down the mountainside toward the clear, sparkling river in the distance. A forest rose up around her, deciduous and coniferous trees mingling heedless of species; the carpet under small, scarred paws was made of grass and dirt and leaves and needles from the previous year. Despite the season, the breeze coasting through the northern section of the mountain range was cool, blowing off the peaks and finding shade under the muddled green canopy.

It was beautiful scenery, more beautiful than she often gave it credit for, but the nagging agreement that this was a bad idea permeated her awe and gave it a bitter edge. She swiveled her head, straining to take in as much auditory information as she could with only one good ear, and her steps were cautious. Each step took her further away from the blood-and-ash ruins of the enemy, but she was headed away from Inferni, and she was headed toward wolves.

There was bile at the back of her throat, an acid sensation that burned harshly but was no stronger than the churning of her stomach. “I’m afraid, Stark,” she admitted quietly to the bird flapping above her. It was a confession that no luperci would ever hear, not her sister or her warrior friend or the woman who’d overtaken most of her thoughts these long days. But she had no problem telling the raven that saw her as his child; it was like climbing into a parent’s nest and murmuring about nightmares. And she was fully aware that she’d never told her mother about nightmares, either.

“Wolf soldiers being gone, boy,” Stark croaked gently down to her, swooping in close. It was tough flying, but the narrowing proximity gave her some comfort as she leaped over a fallen tree, skidding down the side of a slope before breaking out into a trot again.

“I know,” she said. “They’re gone, and the war is over. But that’s not it.” Her blue eyes betrayed her age as she peered up at him. “You know that’s not it. Just because the battle’s over doesn’t mean…”

He understood. She could see it in his beady eyes as he glanced briefly down at her, but then he flapped up and disappeared into the canopy of a tree. He did not reappear until she was leaping out on rock dotted with bushes, the river coming closer and closer to her left. The Pictou was strong from the spring showers, and it led right into her destination; there was no getting lost on this journey she had made but once before.

“Coyotes and wolves,” Stark began awkwardly, “fighting always. Not changing that, boy. Knowing that, too.” She nodded, troubled, and he continued. “So why traveling here? Why being scared?”

His words were punctuated with a question mark, but the moment was punctuated by something a lot less ambiguous. She was taken aback by the sheer strength of the odor, the mingled marks of many wolves. She could pick out the most dominant of them, but the rest were so numerous and blurred since her last time at the borders. Her tail dropped, and she blinked as she scanned the border, lush with vegetation here and there rather than the barren sight it’d been in winter.

“I want to know that it wasn’t them,” Vesper confessed. “I want to make sure they weren’t part of it, that the wolves didn’t…didn’t talk to them, didn’t convince them to join their side. There’s no bad blood between Zalen and I, but these others I don’t know. I want to make sure that it stays peaceful.” She looked at him, her winged guardian, a source of strength so many miles from her territory.

But there was nothing he could say; he only alighted on a nearby branch, high enough so that he could somewhat see into a pack territory, and gave her an encouraging nod. Reminding herself that she was the subleader of a great clan, Vesper took a deep breath and let out a howl as hybrid as she was, seeking a meeting with the wolves.


the coldest story ever told

Image courtesy of ChainBound

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#2
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out of character stuffs




Tharin's ears pricked up at the cry. The fish hanging in his mouth flopped around, attempting escape. He had been planning on bringing it back for Lucia to play with, since it wasn't very big. Land prey was more his thing anyways. The voice was different from what he had expected, not a wolf's pure cry like he was used to, or the stranger shorter cries from some of his mixed pack mates. This was something entirely new for the northern wolf.


He carried the fish towards the border, wondering who it could possibly be. It was only once he could smell the strange canine that it occurred to him it might be one of the canines that had been attacking his pack mates. Hackles raised he continued the rest of the distance, trying to look as fierce as possible with fish locked in his mouth. Dropping it down he looked up, confusion clear on his features. She didn't seem like one of the attackers. She was so small. What are you?


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#3
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Word Count :: 460 Others welcome still. :o

Natural wariness served Vesper well as a scout for her clan, and her present concerns only augmented her vigilance. Even before the bird let out a low croak as warning, she could smell the freshly-caught fish and the strong musk of an adult pack wolf heading toward them. Her small body grew taut, but she did not betray her nerves other than a watchful stare in the direction of the bushes as the wolf stepped out.

When the silver and cinnamon New Dawner made his way postured and bristling to the border, the Centurion remembered lupine etiquette and tucked her ear quickly against her slender skull, her muzzle dipping momentarily to show deference to the borders and her position as a stranger if nothing else. She did not completely lower herself as a more devout outsider might, as she was unused to extreme shows and still ranked above this stranger; she was a subleader, while he didn’t carry the dominant scent that Zalen had.

What scents he did carry made her raise her scarred brow with interest, but then the fish dropped to the ground, and he asked a much unexpected question of her.

“I’m—” Vesper paused, not sure how to answer. He was a non-luperci (a difference she learned to smell as a former one herself), but he shouldn’t be confused about that due to her lupus form, and the fact that he lived with other luperci if Zalen was anything to go by.

Then, foolishly, she remembered her species and the whole reason her clan had been targeted. While fully anticipating some to resent her for her hybridization, she hadn’t had someone truly confused about what she was, only how mixed she was. Trying not to smirk, she flicked her coal-tipped tail and answered in a level tone.

“My father was a wolf. My mother was a coyote—which are smaller and more often loners, but not too much different.” Others failed to see that, leaning instead toward the stereotype of tricksters and scavengers rather than letting the physical evidence tell the story. “So I’m a hybrid, half and half.”

That hopefully out of the way, she stood slowly—her movements careful so she didn’t appear to be a threat—and sniffed the air. She’d thought she’d smelled it, but it was unmistakable now. Her blue eyes widened, and her tail wagged low and uncertain behind her. “Does… Does Kiara live here now? You smell like her.”

Vesper blinked then shook her head quickly, remembering herself and the order she should be addressing facts rather than blurting out questions about her friend. “My name is Vesper, and I’m a leader in Inferni, the hybrid clan south of here. I wanted to talk to someone of New Dawn.”


the coldest story ever told

Image courtesy of ChainBound

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#4
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Bria, hope you don't mind if Lucia calls Tharin dad. I can change it if you want. [WC:402 || Points: 4]


Once again her days had turned peaceful and the week had passed by quickly for the young mother. Loosing her only son had been a devastating blow to the tiny female, but she had remained strong for the sake of her remaining puppy. Lucia, who was very young, had adapted well to her new home and to the strange wolves that inhabited the pack lands. She was completely used to the luperci and had returned to her playful self. There were even times when the tiny pup would wrestle with the older puppies of New Dawn.


Lucia had been completely weaned, preferring meat over her mother's milk. Besides her obvious increase in size, the only other change that Kiara could pick out was that here eyes had started to change into a deeper blue to match her mother's sapphire orbs. Other than being incredibly small compared to the luperci puppies, Lucia was growing up healthy and happy with her new pack. The nine-week old puppy had also come to associate Tharin as her father, a mistake that Kiara didn't have the heart to fix.


"Mommy, we go up?" Kiara watched as her daughter struggled to climb over the mountainous terrain. "Are you sure you want to go up? It looks really tough." Lucia shook her head eagerly and exclaimed, "I want go up!" The white mother shook her head and followed closely behind her daughter who continued to climb the mountain. The mother-daughter pair climbed for a little bit until a familiar, broken howl sounded through the land. Kiara's ears stood alert and Lucia responded with her own weak howl. Kiara's tail wagged ferociously and she surged forward, grabbing Lucia by the scruff as she passed the puppy.


The terrain was a little difficult, especially with Lucia in her jaws, but the lithe female was able to make her way to the boarder in a relatively short amount of time. She reached the boarder just as Vesper introduced herself to Tharin. Kiara paused long enough to set Lucia down who enthusiastically ran up to Tharin, jumping at him and shouting, "Daddy, I climb!" Kiara, forgoing her greeting to Tharin, charged at Vesper with a giant grin and wagging tail "Vesper!" She showered the coywolf with licks and jovial whines sounded from her open maw. Once Lucia had calmed down enough to notice the strange luperci at the boarder, she ducked behind Tharin.


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table by alli

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#5
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Word Count :: 390 :: OOC


Zalen have never felt more alive than he did now, it was if he had been born anew, and he looked it too. His summer coat was glossy and clean, muscles rippling underneath, his eyes clear and bright, his every movement like a dance. And it was all because of Titania, of the both of them. Since her having gone into heat, they had lain together often, and had removed themselves from the rest of the pack to do so in privacy. Now, their new residence was in the beautiful expanse of Avalon, and while Titania rested in the shade like a beautiful goddess, Zalen was fishing in the pools of the misty falls of the valley.

The dark Alpha have never felt more in control and confident then he did now, and snatching several fat fish from the depths was easy. He laid his catch on the shore in a neat row and shook himself of the moisture when a distant call reached his ears. He froze, listening carefully, for it was such a ways off, and recognized it to not be one of his members. The sable male paused to glance over to his sleeping mate; a little trip to the borders would not do any harm; he had truly worn her out it seemed.

A smile on his face, the Damaichu man was off, running full sprint out of the valley and down the rocky foothills. Though it did take him some time, it seemed to him as if he flew to the caller, and as his neared the scents of his pack mates wafted to him, as well as that of a friend.

Zalen slowed his sprint to a brisk trot as he neared, and he saw Tharin and Kiara and her pup facing off against Vesper, but there was not hostility within the group at all. In fact, Kiara looked elated, and so Zalen too was elated, and strode right up to the small Inferni female and butted heads with her, probably a little harder than he had meant to, Vesper! It has been too long. He smiled again, tail wagging. The Alpha was on an emotional high, and the appearance of his Infernian friend in good health was welcome sight, he nearly forgot that he had been worrying about her in the first place.

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#6
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that is adorable




The strange canine dipped down, submitting to Tharin's presence. Settled down by this he continued to study her, the fish forgotten on the ground. She seemed to struggle with his question, trying to figure out how to answer it. He waited patiently for the answer, genuinely curious about what she would say. A mix from a coyote and a wolf. He listened to what a coyote was carefully, making sure that he wouldn't forget. Taking in a deep breath he memorized her scent so that he would known if he met another. Asked after Kiara Tharin nodded his head. A friend of hers? He was sure Kiara would welcome her, as Kiara's high spirits always lent to warm greetings.


Told that she was a leader here to talk with a representative of New Dawn Tharin raised his head, prepared to call for someone. Before that though the familiar scents of Kiara and Lucia reached him. Tail wagging he partly turned, watching the small family clamber up. The excitement was clear, proving he'd been right in his thoughts about how she would treat this hybrid. He cocked his head at Lucia's words, not really sure how to react to being called daddy. Deciding it was fine he nuzzled the little pup softly, chuckling as she ducked behind him for protection.


It's alright, she won't hurt you. She's a friend. He didn't know Vesper personally, but from the warm greetings and her cordial manners he knew it was true. Zalen arrived as well, charging through. If there'd been doubts before they were clean swept away by the pure joy his alpha showed. Tharin rapidly swept Lucia out of reach, noting that the alpha was still hyped up. His tail wagged behind him, realizing he'd forgotten to give his own name in the rush of those that had arrived. I'm Tharin. Maybe a bit late on the upkeep, but with so much going on it was better to introduce himself to the hybrid now than later.


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#7
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Word Count :: 724 AWWW Vessie's loved <3333 And I wrote a hella lot of words, sorry. ;__; So ramblyyyy.

Vesper’s worries began to melt away the longer she stood at the border, especially after the stranger listened thoughtfully to her answer. She couldn’t imagine that the New Dawn wolves would be anything less than tense or hostile if they had been swayed by the enemy propaganda. One glance at the raven, which looked smug but happy, told her that the rest of her fears were probably unfounded. At least for now, she didn’t have to worry about the pack.

And a white blur racing toward her completely erased the rest of her doubts.

The coyote yelped as the arctic wolf jumped at her, but her yips fell quickly into laughter as she was attacked with licks. She reciprocated the best she could, giving her friend a kiss on the nose and the ear and the chin, her tail wagging crazily behind her as she was caught up in the thrill of the reunion. She’d been fearful when she heard about Ichika no Ho-en’s fall, but New Dawn would be the perfect haven for a non-luperci.

She managed, just for an instant, to lift her head and spy the child hidden behind the silver wolf’s legs. Those blue eyes were unmistakable, and she barked happily as she realized that Kiara had her litter. She’d expected for there to be more than one, but the puppy she saw looked healthy and precious. Her tail wagged again, and she began to give her friend little nips on the cheek when another strong smell and familiar sight reached her.

She scrambled out of Kiara’s grasp long enough to look at the alpha, grinning at him until he came and butted his head against her, the force enough to send her near-sprawling on the ground. Laughing, she gave his chin a polite lick too then stood back to look at all four of the wolves.

“Nice to meet you too, Tharin,” Vesper returned courteously, nodding at the male with the puppy. A little glance at Kiara questioned if this was indeed the “wonderful male who couldn’t shift” that had fathered her litter, but she didn’t want to ask aloud in case it was more complicated than it looked.

“I’m glad to see you’re well,” the coyote hybrid said, addressing any and all of them. Her tail wagged slower and lower, and she remembered the reasons she came here in the first place. Although she was no longer worried that New Dawn sympathized with the Boreas wolves, she did know that the ground both packs tread would be a bit shakier, especially on Inferni’s end.

“I wanted to tell you… Inferni was involved in war.” She hated to be the one killing the mood, but she took a seat and adopted her Centurion voice regardless. “Wolves from outside this region wanted to wipe us out. Our clan survived and is healing, but… Some of them might still be scared.” Describing their emotions as fear instead of hate would help, although she supposed that was what it truly came down to. “I consider your pack a haven among all the luperci ones, a place for true canines, but some of my clan might only see wolves and a shadow of those that attacked us.” Her voice grew a bit higher. “I desperately don’t want hostilities. I’ll personally take care of any coyote who gets nasty, but I don’t want trouble over a bad attitude in the neutral territories.”

She felt like a parent trying to make excuses for their child, but it helped for her to be a bit humble and desperate if she wanted this to work. She fully understood why her clan might view New Dawn warily if they ever even met the wolves, because she herself still carried some paranoia from the conflict. However, Zalen might not know what had happened, and she didn’t want the wolves to take any Infernian’s unease as open hostility.

Vesper took a breath after that long speech then shook her head. “I’m probably worried about nothing, but I underestimated what war could do. I don’t want there to be hate, only understanding.”

She flattened her remaining ear, guilty once more for destroying the euphoric reunion, but she’d come here to fulfill a purpose. She glanced at the raven again, and he only rustled his wings and stood still on his perch.


the coldest story ever told

Image courtesy of ChainBound

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#8
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<3 [WC:424 || Points: 4]


Vesper yelped as Kiara jumped up to greet her old friend, returning to her puppyish antics. The reunion was met with happy laughter and gentle licks atop Kiara's muzzle and under her chin. It had been a long time since Kiara last saw Vesper. In fact, they hadn't met since the young mother was pregnant with her puppies. Since then, not only had the arctic female had and lost several puppies, but she had also gained a new scar on her shoulder. Even so, the tragic events didn't darker Kiara's heart as she greeted Vesper. Both female's tails were wagging quickly and the air was hearty. "It's good to see you Vesper."


Thankfully, the happy mood didn't die when Zalen approached the boarder. In fact, the giant black male only added to the atmosphere by head-butting Vesper in a friendly manner. The arctic female was reluctant to part with the coywolf, but allowed Vesper to scramble out of her grasp to greet the Alpha. Kiara stepped back respectfully, narrowly avoiding being caught between the two luperci. The young mother turned back to Tharin and the shy Lucia. She strode over to quickly greet Tharin and soothe her daughter's worries by explaining to the puppy that the stranger was her mother's friend. Once reassured by both Tharin and Kiara, the tiny puppy stepped out and watched the adults with wide eyes.


Sapphire orbs glance back happily at Vesper who shot Kiara a wordless question. Solemnly, Kiara shook her head. No, Tharin wasn't Lucia's deadbeat father. With the greetings out of the way, the atmosphere became somber as Vesper brought tidings of a war and fear from Inferni. It wasn't the first time the snowy wolf had heard of a war, however she never expected that Inferni would be part of the war. Fear and worry flowed through her. Vesper wasn't the only friend Kaira had in Inferni. She hoped that Emma was alright, and was relieved to see that Vesper had made it through a war as well.


Although the young mother could understand that some wolves didn't like coyotes because many were scavengers, she couldn't see how those feelings would warrant an attack on Inferni. Coyotes weren't as big as wolves so it was understandable that they scavenged. How could any wolf hate coyotes because of that? Kiara shook her head and stared down at Lucia who looked back at her mother. Kiara vowed that she would raise Lucia right and make sure that the puppy would never hold such animosity towards other canines.


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table by alli

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#9
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Word Count :: 383 :: OOC


Zalen was elated as Vesper greeted him back but it did not get past him that his arrival seemed to have caused her relief. He wondered what could have been bothering her. His tail was wagging violently behind him, and he went to greet Kiara and Tharin and the little puppy too, trying desperately to wrangle in his excited mood. Kiara spoke to Vesper, saying that it was good to see her, and Zalen whined in acknowledgement, but then he looked at the coyote gal, and saw a dark cloud of sobriety come over her face.

She spoke of the war that Inferni had endured, and how the wolves that had fought against had only one goal; genocide. It all was a repeat of what Emmanuelle had said, and Zalen stood as a stoic statue as she spoke. He felt the wave of shame and sadness wash over him as it had before, but he was glad to know that Inferni had won… at least, the majority of him was. The dark, coyote-hating part of him was not pleased all. But the Boreas had not come to them, and even if they had, Zalen would have turned them away. No clan should seek to eradicate another, regardless of species, if they were not purely evil, and there was only one purely evil pack around here, and it was no Inferni.

As Vesper finished speaking, Zalen walked forward and nuzzled her softly on the scruff, I had heard of the conflict from Emmanuelle, when she came to visit. Your words sound true, and I hear them clearly. I promise you that I and New Dawn holds no grievances towards Inferni and that we will continue to uphold the respectful distance between our clans. He glanced briefly at the others then to make sure his words were being heard and understood, We are separate, but equal. We as wolves would never seek to eradicate the coyotes, despite these differences. He wanted to acknowledge this; coyotes would never be accepted among New Dawn ranks, but that was out of respect for the laws of nature, and no prejudices. In fact, Zalen intended to come to Inferni eventually to meet its leader, but he would have to speak with Vesper in private before that was to happen.

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#10
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out of character stuffs




His tail wagged as Vesper greeted everyone, even taking the time to introduce herself while being piled upon by her friends. Zalen's playful air was contagious, a large part of the solemn air that he'd carried when questioning after the stranger fading. Kiara came back to his side, both exchanging nuzzles before she set off soothing the pup. Lucia finally stepped out, blue eyes wide. Chuckling he nuzzled the pup happily, unable to contain it when everything was so great. He couldn't imagine life being much better.


Shock ran across his face as he heard about the war against a species that up until a few moments before he didn't know existed. It was disgusting, wolves doing that. He almost felt shame. Tharin wanted to blame it on the attackers being luperci and swayed by the strange thoughts that it seemed to plague canines with, but he didn't know if it was true. He'd never seen anyone hate another before. He didn't know what could cause it. Tharin's life had been relatively peaceful, free from such happenings.


Zalen's voice came across clear. Tharin nodded his head, agreeing with what the alpha said. If I come across any members of your pack I will make sure to treat them with the respect they deserve for surviving such an event. They were very strong, if such small creatures had repelled back an attack like that. Not as powerful as Zalen's speech, but he still wished to lend his strength to the alpha in this task.


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#11
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We can let this die down whenever you guys like, since its main purpose is over. xD Just thought Ves could stick around and chat, though.

She felt horrid as her speech concluded. That she had ruined the mood of the reunion was something that couldn’t be helped, but it also occurred to her that she came here as if blatantly distrusting New Dawn. It was true she’d been afraid, and her Aquila’s warning about the northern wolf pack rang through her mind, but she was only justified to a point. While she didn’t know all of the wolves well enough to trust them (some might be biased as she worried), Zalen had the power and poise that a dominant alpha male needed to lead his family and keep them from trouble.

But the dark male did not seem offended as he nuzzled her, explaining that he’d been given tidings of the war from Emmanuelle. She wondered briefly what the girl had been doing this far north, especially with the conflict, but her displeasure was eased as Zalen agreed to her sentiment about keeping the peace. They were not exactly the words she wanted to hear, but she wasn’t going to try to rock the alpha’s beliefs. Respectful distance and separated equality were all she could have hoped for, and she took that with a humble nod and a thankful smile flashed in his direction.

Vesper offered the same gratitude to Tharin when he spoke up, wagging her tail. “I’m glad to hear it,” she told them all, and then her smile sharpened to a toothy grin. “So how is New Dawn faring? I already see you have new additions.”



the coldest story ever told

Image courtesy of ChainBound

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#12
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00c [WC:294 || Points: 1]


When Kiara strode up to Tharin, Lucia was quick to abandon her so-called father for the parental figure she had known all her life. The tiny female took refuge beside her mother and only came out long enough to greet her new Alpha. Lucia had watched her mother interact with the Alpha enough to understand the proper procedure. Kiara also returned Zalen's greeting in kind. The Alpha's enthusiasm made Kiara feel even more elated than before and her tail was wagging brightly.


Vesper's news of war and genocide completely destroyed the earlier good mood. Kaira sat solemnly as her daughter watched the proceedings from behind the safety of her mother. Truth be told, the arctic female wasn't happy to hear that Zalen had declared New Dawn and Inferni separate. She was fond of a few of the Inferni coyotes, Vesper especially. Being separate meant keeping apart from one another, a prospect she didn't like. Even so, Zalen was her new Alpha and she would have to abide by his wishes... most of the time. Kiara was not about to abandon her old friend.


At last the mood lifted a little and a toothy grin spread across the coywolf's face. The white wolf stuck her chest out with pride and stated happily, "Of course." Kiara smiled and turned around to gently nudge Lucia forward. "Go on, don't be shy." Together the mother and daughter moved forward, although Lucia was clearly reluctant to approach the stranger. "Vesper, this is my daughter Lucia." Shyly, the puppy stretched her head forward to sniff the coywolf. Her blue eyes were watchful but held a glint of curiosity.


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table by alli

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#13
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Word Count :: 332 :: This will probably be my last post, unless I'm prompted to reply again


Zalen immediately sensed that his words, while satisfactory, were also somewhat inflammatory. For this, he would not apologize; before the virus, coyotes and wolves hardly if ever interacted with each other, and when they did, it was more likely than not a violent affair. There was a reason for this, it was in their natures, in their blood, to be born enemies. But, the virus had given them minds to think and forced them into a situation where interaction was necessary. Zalen saw this, his understood it, and therefore, he had set up the boundaries he had. Others might try to progress the relationship between wolf and coyote at a faster rate than nature intended, but he was not amongst those who thought this way. Eventually, in the future perhaps, the line between wolf and coyote would blur to a point where separation was no longer necessary, but until that time, he would continue to draw the line between them.

Zalen nodded back to Vesper and then watched with glee as Kiara introduced the tiny Lucia to Vesper. She was such a precious thing, and the pride of the pack at the moment. Puppies were a sign that a pack was strong and fruitful, and so they were of the utmost import. Zalen nearly cracked, spewing forth his hopes that soon his own mate would bear children, but he held his tongue and let the sweet interaction between his pack-mates and his Infernian friend continue.

As this was happening, he glanced over to Tharin; the man had been impressing him lately, especially with his concern for Kiara, but also in his interactions with the other members. If there was anything the Alpha could say about the male was that he was genuine and honest, two traits that Zalen held in high regard. He might consider getting to know Tharin better, and perhaps, have him as consul to him and Titania, just as Shandom was. It was good to have such wonderful pack-members.

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#14
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out of character stuffs




He listened as Vesper accepted his wishes. It was good that he hadn't made a fool of himself in such an important situation. He wasn't a friend of the hybrid's like Kiara and Zalen were. It was less likely that misplaced words would be forgiven. Somehow he'd muddled through though, tail raising to wag as Vesper inquired politely after the pack. Immediately Tharin set about boasting, pride of the pack in his heart. The alphess is in heat. There would be pups from the alpha pair soon! He couldn't wait to see the pups that would come, proof of the pack's strength


He moved close to watch over Lucia as she met Vesper, even though he knew the hybrid wasn't a threat. He had spent so long protecting the pair, it was hard to stop. She was a sweet little bundle, crouched down and shyly stretching out to sniff at her. I'm sure she'll grow more rambunctious after spending time with the pack. His tail wagged, hoping that Kiara didn't mind him speaking after Lucia like he was her father.


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#15
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Word Count :: 321 Closing this out I guess, sorry for the wait. <3
NAT CAN ARCHIVE. ;D

The pride in her non-luperci friend’s face brightened Vesper, and her ear swiveled forward toward the pale little wolf cub. Her fur was smattered with washed-out greys and tans, but her blue eyes were the same sapphire as her mother’s. When Kiara introduced her as Lucia, and the puppy was nudged forward to say hello, the scarred coywolf managed a gentle smile. “Hello, Lucia,” she replied, a hint of awkwardness evident in her tone; she still wasn’t used to dealing with children, knowing she would likely never have any of her own (and certainly wouldn’t bear them). She sniffed the puppy and gave her a friendly little nudge on the ear before self-consciously lifting her head.

News of the alphess had Ves turning her gaze to Zalen, a smirk crawling across her lips. Had she been more familiar with the dark wolf, like she was with Helotes, she undoubtedly would have set to teasing him. However, she didn’t want to cross any lines, and her pointed look faded into simple gladness. A litter of cubs from the alpha wolves would only make the pack stronger—and maybe even provide heirs. She knew it was this way with the ancient packs, but since New Dawn was bound by bond as much as blood, she didn’t know.

“Ah, there’s something to be said for calm puppies too,” the hybrid remarked lightly when Tharin spoke again. She wagged her tail, watching Lucia for a moment, and after she was finished stood and went to nuzzle Kiara gently. “It’s good to see you,” she said softly, then stepped away and nodded at the New Dawn males. “I’d better get back to the clan. I’m glad to hear how New Dawn is faring.” She swallowed the rest of her awkward farewell, lifted her head as the raven flapped up from his perch, and headed back toward the mountains with one last flourish of her tawny tail.




the coldest story ever told

Image courtesy of ChainBound

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