honeycombs and buzzing bees
#1
DaVinci wasn't for certain what he thought of joining his mother's pack. He knew that it was probably the best thing for his town children but he wasn't even for certain what they thought of him just yet. They had spent the first few days holed up in a cave but that had grown old quick, having a set of legs kicking him in the back and another set pummeling his chest was more than enough to help him along the way to locate a more secure holding. Waking up that morning with Skylar sprawled out upon his head and her stormy eyes meeting his own was too much for the male as he greeted her back with a jawcracking yawn and rose up, dumping the girl in a giggling pile upon the floor. Obviously she didn't mind tormenting her blood father even if she still seemed shy and soft spoken no matter what he did.

After Skylar had woken the rather grumpy Tyrone from his slumber the three of them had began their trek down the red dirt road towards the twin lakes in the heart of the lands. He wanted to find them a cottage or a home farther away from the others but still secure within the mists of the packlands. Right in the heart was where he would place them and they would set up home.. even if it would be a hard and rocky road.

He rolled his eyes as he watched Tyrone chase Skylar away from the dusty road and the shrill laughter of the girl as she cascaded through the tall grasses along the edge of the roadway and off into the fields around them. DaVinci knew from previous explorations that they would soon come across the outskirts of the Villas. He knew exactly where he wanted to take them, to the stone cottage on the edge of the lake where they could watch the sunsets and the two could grow up carefree and without worrying about so much of the dangers of the outside world. He'd atleast learned now that he couldn't protect them for everything.. he hadn't been able to protect Firefly.. but atleast he would give them a good start.. he hoped.
#2
572 words...

DaVi… she thought, as though she could telepathically connect with her half-brother and ease her mind then and there. Were the rumors true? Had DaVinci sought solace with the pack – no, not just solace, but membership within their ranks – that was the difference Mags was contemplating now. Her pack mates were truthful, and she herself heard Deuce’s brief howl which announced his arrival, there had been no mistaking that. But perhaps word had been construed, like one giant game of ‘telephone’. Was DaVinci actually seeking a home with the pack, or had he just come in need of sanctuary? Was something wrong with him? Was he in trouble? Could she help?

Her mind roiled with thought as she padded mindlessly through the foliage. Part of her silently wished, hoped, that he had joined the pack and decided to make Phoenix Valley his home. Life alone was hard, Magdalena couldn’t fathom a life without the pack, and she felt her brother deserved more than he’d allowed himself. Although she had an inkling DaVinci didn’t see it that way - at least her heart was in the right place.

She idly padded through a coupling of trees which brought her out of the foliage and upon the familiar, rust-colored dusty path that meandered through Phoenix Valley. Had she not been so distracted with thought, she probably would have noticed the scent much sooner than she did, but now that it was upon her and filling her sensitive nostrils, she could not ignore it.

“DaVinci,” she murmured aloud this time. Her paws lurched to a halt and she hastily glanced up and down the path. Her heart thrummed with excitement, but he had already passed this place and was out of sight. Nevertheless, he had passed through here, and not long ago at all judging by the potency of the scent. One glance to the earth beneath her paws proffered fresh prints along the trail… and more than just DaVi’s prints, at that. She quirked her head to the side for just a moment, before shaking off her curiosity.

Choosing the brush instead of the path, she spun around and entered the foliage again, her paws lurching into a run without hesitation. She skillfully bounded over any obstacle that stood in her way, keeping herself parallel with the conduit as she jogged, her brothers scent growing stronger all the while. It wasn’t long before the scent was barely wind-carried – she was upon him! She could pop onto the trail at any point now and lay eyes on his gray visage. But rather than bound up from behind to potentially startle DaVinci and the two she did not know were with him, she intentionally overshot her destination. She knew better than to pop out of the bushes and into an impromptu rendezvous with someone who was used to the rough-and-tumble life of a rogue, no telling how guarded he’d be in spite of being within the safe boundaries of Phoenix Valley.

She chose a spot several yards ahead of where DaVinci now walked, and bounded back onto the path. She skidded to a stop and little crimson plumes of dust puffed up around her paws, almost making her want to sneeze, but the sensation passed quickly. She gazed down the path at the stone-pelted hybrid, a pleased smile crossing her muzzle. Her ears pricked with happiness and she yipped a cheerful greeting.

”DaVinci! You’re really here!”
#3
The silvery grey male had been so absorbed in watching his children at play that he hadn't even realized that there was another within the lands until all of a sudden the creamy frame of Magdalena was bounding out of nowhere to come skidding to a stop before him. He couldn't help but let out a cheerful chuckle as he rushed to meet her, his wiry lengthy frame pressed up against her wolfen body as he shook his head and gaspsed. "Of course I'm here! Why do you seem so surprised?" DaVinci hadn't really thought about the fact that she was thinking more along the lines of him being within the pack now but soon enough he'd catch on.

Suddenly he realized it was a little too quiet and he leapt back, his head pulled up as he gazed around in a panic. Skittering away from his sibling he called out. "Tyrone! Skylar!" Didn't he feel stupid now, the first distraction and he'd gone and lost his kids. Damn it, he wasn't ready for this. He'd never be ready for this. Pushing himself off the path he called back to Magdalena. "Com'mon, we have to find them!"

The stormy eyed boy hadn't even stopped to realize that his sister had no clue who they were chasing through the meadow or what they looked like. He wished that he knew the lands better as well as how in the hell to make his children listen to him. His paws flew through the grasses as he heard the high pitched giggle, pasuing he stood still with his oversized ears alert for the next sound the girl made. "Skyllllarr.." he called out gruffly in warning.
#4
300 words...

She bounced like a happy pup as DaVinci hurried up to her in greeting. She yipped again happily as she nudged her side against his in their wolfish greeting, nipping at his shoulder and cheek. Even her tail waggled slightly, punctuating her excitement. She had a million questions.

“No, I mean… you’re here, aren’t you? Is what they say true… are you one of th--” She cut herself off as she noticed the expression on DaVinci’s face mutate from happiness to worry in a fraction of a second. Her grinning maw closed and she looked at him intently, concerned, “DaVinci, what’s wrong?”

She picked up on the vein of his worries immediately, though, when he began surveying the area frantically and then bounded off the path. She pursued, worried and confused, but drew herself up briskly at his side when he halted. It hadn’t taken long for Magdalena to figure out what was going on, even if she still didn’t know just who Skylar and Tyrone were.

She glanced around the meadow but was unable to spot the wayward pups. Her ears swiveled, trying to pick up the sounds of playful banter, to no avail, and then it clicked – DaVinci didn’t only smell like himself.

She stepped closer to him and inspected his fur with her muzzle, inhaling deeply and memorizing the scent that didn’t quite belong to him. It was strongest near his crown, where Skylar had laid earlier that morning, staring into her father’s face until he awoke. Once she had a clear sample of the scent, the puzzle pieces fell into place.

“This way,” she motioned with her head to her left, before trotting a diagonal path through the meadow. Laughter bubbled up from a grass thicket. “Skylar… Tyrone… You can run, but you can’t hide!”
#5
DaVinci felt so stupid! The sudden rush of happiness at seeing his sibling as she babbled on and on about his appearance in the pack. He hadn't caught half of what she'd said as he'd realized his children had gone missing, though he was greatful that she'd followed him on the mad dash into the meadow to look for the young ones. He tried to explain as they were paused there a moment but it just never came out right.. "They don't know.." he stampered. "This is the first time we've come out here!" Stamping one paw in frustration he called out again. "Tyrone! Skylar!" He was growing desperate.

The worry that seemed to pinch at his soul was distracting him from noticing just what Magdalena was doing until her muzzle was right up against his head. With a startled shake of his head he turned to snap at his sibling, wanting to know what the hell that was all about until he realized that she'd caught the scent of something. He relaxed slight as she tilted her head to the side and motioned that they were on the right trail.

Dropping down beside her his shoulder brushed along her's as the pair began the trace through the tall stalks of grain after the giggling child. When Magdalena called out to the hiding mischievious children DaVinci warned quickly. "Mags.. they don't know you.." He wasn't for certain what they'd do, or if they even knew the adults had been able to follow them. For all he knew Skylar was still leading her brother on a chase.

With a shake of his head he raised a paw to silence his sibling as he caught the sound of another giggle. Crouching down low he stalked towards the waving grains until he could brush back the grasses and reveal the hideaway. He didn't expect the girl to come pouncing out to land on him, and obviously she hadn't been expecting her father either.

Flattened by the halfgrown child who could have been his clone, except those eyes, DaVinci groaned as Skylar scurried off a distance, a confused look to her face as she apologized softly. "Sorry, da.." She said, the words causing DaVinci to flick his ears back in discomfort as he gathered himself from the dust.


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