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Location: High Rocks. Hi James :] I make crap postings  Maybe it was the cold or the rain the chased the warmth from every corner of Haven Mansion. The shadows that flickered with the firelight chased Geneva's thoughts. She shivered although the mansion was quite warm and comfortable. She stalked unsteadily from one corner of her room to the other. Her claws clicked on the hardwood floor. She realized that her repetitive motion might wake others who might be sleeping. Besides, the sound of her feet against the floor was starting to annoy her too. She decided that she'd take her brooding outside - perhaps the clean air would clear her head. The gray femme wandered across Crimson Dreams, not really paying attention to where she was going. In retrospect, this probably wasn't the most intelligent decision she could have made. What little use scents might have been to the nose-deaf wolf had been washed away by the rain, which made everything smell faintly of cleanliness and mold. From the glimpses of sky she could see from breaks in the clouds, Geneva could tell that it was getting to be quite late. And the rain had started to recede, the clouds parting slightly to reveal glimpses of silvered stars. The lime-eyed femme noticed that a ring of clouds had parted over the High Rocks. She climbed the slick surface gingerly, aware that one misstep might spell out a broken neck for her. She settled on the top, lying on her back in lupus form. The stars twinkled down and she felt a bit of solace gazing up at them. Her eyes traced the constellations and she muttered their names, eyes shining with unshed tears. She wished she didn't feel this way - but tonight had brought out the worst in her heart and she had nowhere to hide.
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[html]  Supposed to be doing homework...but I got drawn in by Souls >_> And do you want maybe just a talking thread? The highrocks probably wouldn't be a good place for Salem. x3
Naniko had lived in the mansion for the better part of the past year, but now she and Anu had taken up residence in a cave. It was a bit of a change, but she didn't tell Anu about some of the uneasiness that she felt now that they were away from the mansion. She had been the one that had said that they should move out of the mansion. That bedroom still haunted her whenever she was inside the large home-and no matter how hard she tried to push the memories back and away, they almost always surfaced.
But at the same time, she missed parts of the building. The tunnel beneath it was interesting and fun to explore, the beds were soft and blankets warm. Maybe she had gotten too used to life indoors. They couldn't have a fire in the cave without risking smoke backup...so it was almost always cold, no matter what was going on outside, weather-wise. And doors. The cave didn't have a door. If he wanted to, Conri could just walk right in and take one of the pups...and she wouldn't even know.
It had been months...four months since he'd done that horrible thing and left. But she still thought about him. Naniko had been almost certain that he would come back at some point, even if he knew that she would chase him away, but so far he hadn't even come near Crimson Dreams...from what she could tell. That scared her too.
She was seated upon one of the ledges that looked out above the lands, watching. She couldn't see anything through the dense trees that made up part of the territory, but in other places, where the forest was more sparse, she could see little flickers of movement every once in a while. A pack member coming back, leaving...maybe a bobcat or a nighttime creature. There was a small sound to the right of her and she came to attention, turning to peer over her ledge to the one below it. The female was in her optime form, having felt more comfortable climbing in it, and her long, silvery braid hung down below her, swinging a little. "Hello?"
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Geneva rolled on to her stomach, turning her head to her left. She thought she had heard someone speak, but she wasn't sure if it had been her imagination. She stayed there for a moment before she decided to find the source of the sound. Padding quietly on four feet, she ventured to her left toward a higher ledge. Squinting her lime-green eyes, she made out a form against the twilight. She realized that she was staring at Naniko, outlined in her Optime form like a ghost against the gloom.
She hadn't seen the femme since she had first been accepted into the ranks of Crimson Dreams. Even so, she had only seen her fleetingly. And she had had her daughter, like a miniature clone, with her. Geneva was struck for a moment by how beautiful the Commander was, the stark contrast of her white coat against the darkness. But even more striking was the sadness that seemed to settle around her, an expression that looked almost haunted. She wondered what troubled the white femme's thoughts. It bothered Geneva that her mood so closely mirrored her own, although she did not seem as visibly upset. Geneva wished for her composure, but she did not have much to call on this night.
"N-Naniko?" the femme called up, clearing her throat. "It's Geneva Stockholm, down here."
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She didn't normally come out to this area of Crimson Dreams, and she wasn't sure what exactly had brought her here tonight. It was a nice place to just sit and think...and she could see a large portion of the packlands, even through the darkness. Naniko liked that fact, that she was able to see everything, but at the same time this area had its dangers; it was possible to stand on a higher ledge than another wolf and be completely unnoticed, if one wanted to be. In the daylight it might not be as bad, but in the darkness, and by herself, it did make her feel slightly vunerable.
Now that they were getting older, the pups would be able to be by themselves for longer and longer periods of time. She had tried to instill in them the dangers of certain areas, but knew at the same time that it was unlikely that they would listen. She hadn't, when she'd been younger. Naniko had hoped that she would be able to raise her pups in the same lands that she had been brought up in, the packs of Chimera and Clouded Tears, but the fires had taken all of that away. She had gone to the border to look at the lands once or twice, hoping that some parts of them might have escaped the blaze, but everything had still been as dark and burnt as ever.
There was a shift in the darkness that she was looking down into, and when she heard the voice her tail began to sweep back and forth. Someone familiar. Naniko wasn't sure how far down that ledge was from hers, but she wanted to get down to it. She began to scoot backwards over the edge, prepared to let herself fall the yard or so of air that her feet dangled in, and let go of her ledge. What she hadn't expected, though, was the other, smaller piece of rock that was jutting out from the level that she had previously sat upon. It struck her in the side as she went, and when she landed down on the ledge with Stockholm she winced. She was able to stand up, but something hurt where she had hit the rock--with each breath she could feel a hard ache on her left side.
"It was so worth it." She clutched onto her side, grinning. "Oh man, what an adventure. I should...I mean, we, if you want to...and you don't have to, you can stay here.." She finished her thought a moment later, shaking her head. "I think I broke something. Ahhh..yeah. Definitely. And I was wondering if you might walk back with me to the mansion. But, like I was said...or was trying to say...you don't have to. It's a beautiful night"
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[html] Ouch poor Nani. Beware my craposity it could be contagious *is tired*
Stockholm's tail wagged slightly, slowly when she saw Naniko notice her, peering over the edge of the ledge. The Commander seemed happy to see her, which in turn made the stone hued femme quite happy too. She had wanted to get better acquainted with the white femme, especially after meeting her children and mate. She admired a wolfess that could knit a pack together so tightly, yet help it to remain open to newcomers and virtual strangers. She wanted to thank her for her acceptance and her kindness.
Geneva was startled when she saw the white Commander suddenly drop from the lip of the ledge. Lime green eyes widened as she saw the inevitable about a second before it happened. She wanted to call out a warning or reach her before it happened, but Naniko had made impact faster than the wolfess could react. She rushed to her side, concentrating on shifting into Optime form as she did so. When she reached Naniko, she had shifted and was a bit dizzy from concentrating so hard.
"Nonsense, Naniko. I have no intention of leaving you until I know you're all right," Geneva said seriously, somberly. Although she was a very small wolfess and not very strong, one of her foremost skills was her ability to keep a clear head under pressure. I think before we go back to the mansion, we need to assess the damage. How badly does it hurt when you breathe, on a scale of one to ten? Are you dizzy?" Geneva looked down over the ledge of the High Rocks, realizing the climb down would be pretty tricky.
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Up on the ledge there wasn't much that they could do, but Naniko nodded in agreement anyway. It was better to assess it and then choose what to do. She did want to get back and get some herbs, because it was beginning to throb, but she knew good common sense when she heard it. "Alright. It doesn't hurt that bad...just when I breathe. Maybe a six. But then...I've had a lot of injuries. Maybe I ought to grade it as less. Or more. I don't know." She was used to diagnosing others, but not to actually grade herself on the same sort of scales.
The fact that Stockholm was showing concern and trying to make her stop and rest made her grin; it had been a long time since someone had tried to get her to do anything that she didn't want to do. It was kind of refreshing. But maybe she could convince her doctor to let her down. "I have herbs in the mansion, ones that might help with pain. It's a rib--I can feel it moving a little bit when I breath in. I'll need some help getting a bandage all the way around me"
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[html] Stockholm nodded as Naniko spoke. Truth be told, she had very little hands on experience treating broken bones. She's read up on them, though, and knew that a loose rib could produce all sorts of trouble. Her imagination conjured up a picture of Naniko running out of oxygen because the jostled rib had punctured her lung. She pushed the image away and considered the fact that the Commander seemed very level-headed and seemed to know what needed to be done.
Herbs? The wolfess had heard of others with the ability to blend herbs into all sorts of things - poultices, edible medications - in order to alleviate pain and infection. She cocked an eyebrow in admiration. If the wolfess knew how the art of medication making, then she'd be the first wolf Geneva had ever met with the knowledge.
She glanced once more over the edge of the rocks. The way down for Geneva was shorter than the way the Commander had taken, but there was still a considerable ways to go. They were pretty high up and the rocks were slick. "Let's go to the mansion," she said in agreement. "Do you think you'll be able to make it down on your own?" An idea occurred to her. "If we take it slowly, I think I could help you down if you were on my back - but it would be slow."
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The female seemed very sensible to Naniko, and though she had just met her she was beginning to already feel quite comfortable around her. She thought that Stockholm had a sensible head on her, as well. She wasn't freaking out or running around in circles without any ideas about what to do. Sure, it wasn't that big of an injury, and she already thought that she knew what it was, but she would consider this moment when thinking about Stockholm in later, bigger situations.
Naniko had been working with herbs since she had found her mother's old herbal bag in the back of the den in Clouded Tears more than a year before now, but she had been taken a break during her pregnancy and was only now just beginning to get back into using them. She hadn't wanted to put her pups at any danger, so she had stopped in grinding them and preparing them for those few months.
When she had been younger, Naniko had healed all sorts of creatures. She knew low-speech, the language of the lower beasts, and she'd had a magpie companion who had taken her to them to heal them, or brought them to her. There had been more than one instance where an injured bear cub or fox had crawled into her bed during the night.
"But I'm so..." She was going to say big, but she wasn't sure if that would be an insult to Stockholm's strength. "Only if you're sure. I don't want to be a burden--I can deal with a little pain"
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[html] So many lines in this post are dirty! I crack up every time I use the word 'mount.' XD
Geneva smiled when Naniko hesitated over an unspoken word. She knew that the Commander was making a silent comparison of their sizes. The gray wolfess shook her head mutely and spoke. "I'd spare you that little pain, even if you could endure it. I think it'd be best if you were to go down on my back. Do you think you could wrap your arms around my shoulders? I think that'd make for less jostling of your rib." Stockholm knew that her thin arms were too weak to carry the while wolfess, but she believed she could help her down this way.
She swung her legs over the ledge and turned, beckoning Naniko to mount her back. After she felt her weight settle, Geneva began her descent. The process was slow. Carefully, calculatingly the gray wolfess chose her steps. It was difficult carrying Naniko this way, but she had some things to her advantage. She wasn't supporting the Commander's weight so much as Naniko was holding on to her. She knew that if she tried to carry Naniko this way while going horizontally on the ground, instead of vertically as she was, her knees would collapse below her. Geneva focused on her breathing when her muscles screamed at her, counting to three before taking the next step and creating a pattern that was similar to meditation.
She felt her feet settle on the ground and slid down the rest of the rock face. She almost laughed when she felt Naniko's feet touch down before hers. She turned to look at the Commander, panting slightly and stretching her arms. "Are you all right?" She hoped she hadn't taken too long.
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[html] LOL!! We should have a thread where it's all innuendos.
She was a big wolf, there was no denying that, at least a foot and a half taller than Stockholm in this form. She felt bad that the other felt that she had to carry Naniko down, and she didn't want to be a burden. But at the same time, she felt that she should accept because it would be a lot less painful. If the other wolf could possibly carry her down, then she would let her--but if it got too hard she would ask her to stop and would go the rest of the way by herself.
But they managed to get down the side without any problems. Naniko was relieved when she felt her feet touch the ground again; not because she hadn't trusted Stockholm, but because she hadn't wanted to be a strain on the other pack member. There had been a few times when a step had caused her rib to ache and she'd winced, but that was all. Nothing horrible. "It doesn't hurt too badly right now--but that climb down would have been very difficult. Thank you--I don't know how I can show my thanks...but I'm sure I will find a way sometime. Maybe with medicines, if you get ill later in the season. In the mansion I have everything that I'll need to get myself fixed up. If you want, I can show you some of the herbs when we get there, and explain them. When spring comes I'll be able to gather certain ones"
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[html] That'd make for a rousing game of "that's what she said" haha. Happy Thanksgiving ♥
Relief flooded the gray wolfess when Naniko confirmed that she was indeed all right. Geneva was very glad that she hadn't made her injury worse. She had no doubt that Naniko was completely capable of taking care of herself, and that she would have been fine without her aid, but she wanted to help in whatever way she could. It seemed like such a small thing after all the doors Naniko had opened for her by merely showing compassion.
Her light green eyes widened slightly after Naniko expressed her thanks. The gray wolfess was very much surprised by her words. Geneva's lime green eyes sought the Commander's jade ones. She spoke softly but firmly, her voice somewhat hushed. "Please, never think of anything between us as a transaction. There's no debt to repay here," she said. I owe you more than you could ever know, she added silently.
"From everything I've seen here..." Geneva looked away, trying to find the right words before she looked at Naniko again. "From everything I've seen, this pack is so much more than just a pack. This is a family. I will do whatever it takes to preserve this family, to help. Anything you need, that's what I'll be." The intensity of those hushed words surprised Geneva as they came off her tongue. There was a raw edge to them. She hadn't expected to be this open, to have her heart spill out her throat in those quietly serious words. But her heart had spelled out her truest intentions.
She looked to the ground, her shoulders rounding in toward her body as embarrassment flooded her. Although she was usually quite frank, she was used to being much more reserved, cool, calm. But those words had come in a warm rush of feeling, of gratitude, of a protectiveness she hadn't expected to feel. Not so soon, anyway.
Rolling her shoulders to dispel the tension, she looked back at Naniko, feeling somewhat more at ease. "But anything you're willing to teach me, I'm willing to learn. All knowledge is worth having," she said, smiling. "And I love to learn new things." Her eyes scanned the territory in all directions. She looked back to Naniko and this time her smile was rueful. "I don't know the way back to the mansion," she confessed.
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[html]  xD Yes it would. And sorry for being so late on this ;_; And haha, I can kind of think of something in that one line..."anything you need, that's what I'll be"
Naniko had only been out of the packlands to see Iskata lately, but hadn't gone anywhere else. It was probably about time that she visited the other packs in the area to see what was going on. She had heard from Ember that Esper Hollow was disbanding, and was wondering what other packs out there were having problems. If she could do anything to help them, she definitely would. Each of the packs had one or more of her relatives in them, or family friends like Deuce and Lucifer.
"Heh. Alright, but I'll remember this anyway." Just with Naniko, her mate, and her pups there were six wolves in the pack, but there were many others. Naniko often wondered what sort of things held a group of wolves together; was it physical need? The need for food and shelter and protection? Or did some of them stay in the lands because of the ties that they made there with the others? Having Anu here with her made her so very happy--but what if she was still solitary? Would she want to roam, or stay here? And what if she hadn't had any pups? It was a lot to think about.
For the longest time she hadn't thought that pups were going to happen for she and Conri. They'd tried and tried and tried, but no luck. And then, right when she had finally gotten pregnant, everything had happened. The pups, her pack, and Anu were the three things that had really kept her grounded. The pack had been wonderful and loyal--they had looked to her as a leader after her mate had left the lands...Anu had picked her up and helped heal her emotional wounds...and the pups had been everything she could have ever dreamed of. Without those things, she didn't know where she would be today.
"I'm glad to hear that. It makes me happy--I know exactly how you feel. And I feel the same. The pack, this big family...it's the most important thing to me." She nodded in agreement, turning in the direction of the mansion. "This way" She started walking slowly, minding her side, continuing to speak a moment later. "I started out in a pack called Chimera, back in the old lands...but that one disbanded pretty quickly. Everyone kind of left to go on an adventure, I guess, and left my dad Physe in charge of it. After that, he joined with my friend Conri's pack Syemv...and made a new pack called Aremys. But at that point I had left home. I was around four months old. I went looking for my parents, who had left with the others, and ended up falling off a clifftop and breaking my leg. I got found by a pregnant mother wolf, and she took me back and took care of me. She even argued with the alpha to let me stay." She wasn't sure why she was telling her all of this, but it was something to fill all the silence. "Did you move around a lot when you were young, too?"
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