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It was cold this morning, but not as cold as it had been earlier in the week. Naniko didn't mind heading out at dawn; it meant that they might return home in time for a nap in the afternoon. So any sleep that was lost wasn't really lost at all. They would get it back later. And dawn was the time when the pups usually woke up anyway, so it felt pretty normal to be rising that early.
She stayed in her optime form more and more now, and was travelling in it today as well. It was easier to pick up the pups if they got into trouble or pull them apart if they got into fights when she had hands to use, and she had work to do later on with the herbs that she would need to stay shifted for. It seemed that her four-legged form was being used less and less.
She looked up ahead of them, to where the city was rising up from the horizon, and spoke. "Almost there. Then we can stop. Unless you're getting tired now--because we can definitely take a break"
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When would they get there? The question ran through her mind as they traveled on. Purple eyes looked around, gazing at the scenery more then paying true attention of the path they walked. Mait wasn’t one for the practical details but the ones she imagined, the ones that in reality didn’t matter. She saw the way the red and yellow leaves poked out of the accumulating snow, and how their were little tracks left by song birds dancing all along their path. How they were getting to where ever they were going was a mystery.
Looking up at her mother, Mati gave a small whine. We dares yet? Her voice was demanding and was nothing more then a impatient cry. She felt no true need for the little trip, and it would be even better if she had her mothers attention. Even Naniko’s declaration of them nearing the destination didn’t calm her unease. Little eyes could still see what they traveled to, and the bitty wolf wasn't sure if she was ready for the big city.
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The Aatte boy's whole body was electric with anticipation. Ever since he had heard that there was an old human city not too far from the packlands he had been eager to go see it. So when his mother had woke early and said that she was going to go there and that any of them that wanted could come along he had had to think for about a millisecond before shouting his answer. All along their way he hand been energetically bounding around. Going to pounce on fidgeting leaves, rolling around in the thing layer of snow, and yipping at any birds they crossed.
Mati didn't quite match his enthusiasm. He wished his sister would be more excited about their big trip. Maybe she'd come around once they were actually there. Haven's attention had been almost everywhere but the road ahead of them until his mom said that they were close. Big jade orbs shot to the horizon that the great city was beginning to peak over. His jaw fell open. It was HUGE! He couldn't even imagine how many places there would be to explore. "I's not tired! I wanna go see da city now!" His small tail was going about a hundred miles per hour.
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The tired man rested at the edges of the city, just beyond a shroud of trees that both kept the city in his sight and still kept him hidden from whomever might be lurking in it. He liked to watch the city, to see who came and went, it was the only bit of social interaction that he could manage to find, even if it wasn't interaction at all. That wasn't the only reason that he lurked at the very edges of the city, though. There were still the birds, which he could hear high above him 'twittering' and singing' their songs, at least that was what it sounded like to everyone else. Conri knew what was really happening, the whispering of the secrets and the planning, and he stayed as close as possible on the off chance that he might hear some bit of their plan.
"I's not tired! I wanna go see da city now!" The words were sudden and somewhat loud, disrupting the birds and their conspiring ways. Conri pushed himself up from the ground, leaning against the tree until he was finally able to steady weak legs beneath him, and turned to look farther off into the forest. He might have decided that the words had been some sort of delusion were in not for the birds who reacted to the sounds also. Conri crept forward a step or two, ears lifted and listening quietly. Children, he could hear their tiny paws against the thin layer of snow, romping perhaps, and coming closer to him.
Their was a faint flash of color ahead of him, something he had only seen for a second, and it caused the sickly male to drop to his knees in the snow. His health had degenerated to the point that he couldn't really rely on his nose to tell him things, even his eyes were becoming undependable. "Are you lost?" He called out suddenly, voice hoarse and cracking, not even sure if it had been loud enough for anyone to hear. It was the first moment in quite a long time that Conri didn't feel odd or angry or upset, now it was just worry.
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She would have recognized the voice anywhere, though it had changed a little bit since she'd seen him last. It sounded like it belonged to a wolf older than she knew Conri to be, all soft and crackly...at first, she hadn't even been sure if it had been anything that she had heard at all or if she was just making it up. There had been days when she had thought that she'd heard him before this, but it hadn't been true. She didn't miss him, but his voice was so familiar that it made her more curious than anything else.
Nanko sniffed at the ground a little, trying to pick up his scent, to see if, this time, what she was hearing might be real. It did smell like Conri, but at the same time it didn't smell like him at all. His scent felt warped. She took a glance back to the pups, beckoning for them to come closer to her, and spoke. "Whoever's out there...you should come out into the open." She wasn't afraid. Now she knew that she was strong enough that if something did happen, she would be able to handle it.
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Maybe there was something wrong with her, but Mati was sure that the city would be frightening. As purple eyes gazed over the hard ground and the tall concrete buildings her assumptions became truth. Even if Haven wanted to see the sights of the grand city, Mati wanted to go home. Her brother was brave, a dragon slayer no less, and even if he could be courageous she knew she couldn’t.
When they traveled further she moved closer to her mother, settling between her legs. A voice called out, startling her and making her legs shake ever so slightly. If the forest held monsters, then the city was full of ghosts. Her mother called back, as brave as Mati had ever seen.
She stayed quiet as a mouse and touched Nani’s white fur slightly for reassurance.
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When a strange voice cracked the air the boy stopped his running and his head shot up, ears pointed forward to the origin of the words. For a second he thought about answering, but something seemed kind of weird about whoever had just spoken. Not scary really, just odd. He stood there for a few moments like a statue, until he saw his mother beckoning for him to come to her. There were times where he might have not wanted to obey, but his large paws obediently carried him close to his snowy mother. There was just a strange vibe that he was getting from this situation.
Haven stood close to Nani's leg, still looking in the direction of where the voice had come from. He wondered who it was, and why they wanted to know if they were lost. It almost seemed like some creepy fairy tale where the monster acts all weak and concerned to lure its victims in. But he wasn't really afraid. His mom was big and strong and could fight off a monster. He would help if he could too.
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It was quiet once more and the bird overhead resumed their suspicious whispers. Conri lifted his head to the sky again, tipping his ears forward to listen for a moment longer, before the slight rustle of steps caught his attention once more. More brazen than he had been recently, Conri hunched forward, slinking through the shade of ghostly trees and toward the sound. His hand grasped for the trunk of the nearest tree, claws digging in to use the bit of strength left inside him to drag his body forward and past the tree. It was then that they came into sight. He was right there in front of them, the woman that he had so loved and the children that he could only guess were his own. His movements ceased from there, staring at the trio of wolves and listening to her words as she spoke them.
There was no doubt that they had seen him already, he was in plain sight, but even so he slunk back, crouching back near the ground and hiding himself behind the tree that he had emerged from. The weak male said nothing. Instead, panic filled his eyes and for a moment he considered turning and running. Curiosity had the best of him though, even in his deteriorated state, and after a moment he leaned forward, peering around the side of the tree to settle dull green eyes on the group. They were beautiful children.
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Haven was a lot like Naniko had been like as a pup, outgoing and explorative, but he took on more of Conri's looks. All of the pups looked like timberwolves more than coyotes, but the varations of pelt colors were really interesting. It was like they'd gotten one of each of the members of the family; Haven had a coppery color like Conri, Brooklyn shared Naniko's pristine white, and Salem was just as dark as Soran or Roman. The one pup who didn't look like either her, Conri, or one of the grandparents was Mati--but there must have been a brown colored wolf somewhere back in either she or Conri's lineage to explain that, too.
But then, at the same time, Naniko's sibling Pontiac had hosted white and tan both, when neither of their parents had held a single bit of tan. Maybe things like that happened sometimes. She wasn't sure.
Naniko remained standing. Normally she would have approached whoever it was and spoken to them, but she had the pups with her this time. She wanted to make them come out instead, so she might have the upper hand. She wouldn't have to approach. She caught a bit of copper between the trees, then a face, then nothing again. She had already decided that this wasn't some kind of dream...but still, the situation seemed dreamlike. Even the lighting of the area made everything seem etheral. But why would he be out here, of all places? And why had the fates decided that she and two of the four pups would run into him today, of all days? Maybe they were meant to see him again.
"Conri? Conri...come out. Just come out here and see us." She paused for a moment. "Please come out."
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Posting again because there isn't much for the pups to go on. X3
He was tempted to turn and run the moment that his name left the woman's lips. He had known her so well, they had been so close for so long, but now she seemed like a stranger to him. She seemed different somehow, but that shouldn't have been much of a surprise to him. Conri jerked his head back behind the trunk of the tree quickly, crouching there for a moment to pause and think. Why did she want him to come out knowing what a monster he was? Naniko would never bring harm to another in front of her children unless it was absolutely necessary, he knew that much, so if she was planning something she likely would have sent them away.
Finally, after a few quiet moments of arguing with himself in his head, he started forward. Conri kept himself hunched forward as he moved, almost still crouched while walking. He only revealed himself partly though, keeping close to the tree to he could use it to push away from in case he felt the need to run away. "I'm here." It was all that he could manage to say though, tearing his eyes away from Naniko to watch the pups for a moment, a twinkle of wonder in his eyes as they settled on them.
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If the cold dark city wasn’t scary enough, it was haunted. The little chocolate girl stayed behind her mother and brother, watching and trying to be brave. A shadowy figure stood in the distance, with a haunting voice that cracked and whispered to them. She shook even harder when he spoke, and when her mother called back she couldn't believe that she was asking for it to move forward.
Why would she want him to come closer? Even though in the light he seemed more like a normal wolf and less like the ghost she was so frightened of. Eyes wandered over his red tinted fur, and his lean body. He looked at her and her brother with just as much interest, though he certainly wasn’t as scared.
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Haven stared at the empty space before them that the voice was coming from. He thought he had seen someone there, but it had disappeared quickly. As his mother called out to whoever was over there he looked up at her, confusion written all over his face. She knew who this was? Why were they hiding? Why did she want them to come out? None of this was making any sense to the Aatte boy. He glance at his sister's shaking form and it tugged at his heart. He wasn't afraid, but he didn't like the fact that she was.
The hair along the back of his neck and spine rose as the strange male appeared. Brows turned downward in a glare. He didn't know who this was, but he was scaring his sister, and that was not okay. The pup managed to suppress his growls, but a chill went through him as the man looked at him. The color of his fur was so similar to his own. He had never seen another wolf with a pelt like his. Something was very off about all of this.
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She hadn't gone through it alone, the birth of the pups and raising them; she'd had Anu there with her. And the pack, too. Crimson Dreams was a very close-knit group, and a good part of the wolves had come to see the new pups when they had arrived. She trusted all of the wolves in the pack, and knew each one closely. So even though Conri had been gone, she hadn't really felt alone, not with all of them there.
Now was the first time in a while that she had even thought about him, besides the strange dreams that she had from time to time. It was important that Mati and Haven meet him, to know that he existed. She would explain everything in simpler terms when they got back home, that Conri was sick and that they shouldn't go near him...but for now she felt alright with them seeing him. As long as he didn't try to take them.
"Barely" She didn't think that he looked good at all, compared to the last time that she'd seen him. A ghost of himself. "I thought that you would come by sometime, to the packlands. But it seems you're smarter than I gave you credit for." She didn't know about what had happened between Conri and Savina. "Since you're here now, though, you might as well know. You can see them with your own eyes, your children." She looked toward the two pups. "This is Conri Church. Your father. And as long as I'm here, there's nothing to be afraid of."
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One seemed fearful, the little girl, by the boy didn't seem so much fearful as he did guarded. Despite the horrible feeling of seeing his own children so nervous around him, he was glad for it. If all went well they would be nervous, guarded around him forever, and wouldn't think twice about defending themselves if he ever tried to hurt them. Of course, Conri didn't expect to ever see them again after this one moment but he knew that children wandered and it might be possible that he would come across one of them one day.
Her comments meant little to him, he wasn't completely aware of just how bad he looked, only how bad he felt, and for a moment the comments went ignored. It was when she spoke of him going to the packlands that his attention was drawn, silent for a moment as his eyes studied her. He'd gone back once, just to catch a glimpse of her, but Savina had found him instead. Naniko didn't know, it seemed, and Conri would make a point of keeping the fact that he had been there to himself.
"What are your names?" He asked quietly, though the question seemed directed at the pups, his eyes settled on Naniko, expecting the answer from her. He wasn't sure if they would understand what was going on, if they'd ever known anything about him at all, so he could only expect that they would see him as nothing more than a stranger. Knowing Naniko, she'd tried to teach them not to just walk up and talk to strangers, so he wasn't expecting much of a response from them.
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"Shocked" really wasn't even the right way to describe what the boy felt right now. It was this whole, big mix of emotions coursing through his body. His grandmother Soran had told him that he had a father. And that he had had to leave the pack because he was sick, and he wasn't allowed to come back. Looking at the seemingly fragile male, he could definitely see the "sick" part. But still, this was a huge shock to him. The idea of his father had been pushed from his mind and he hadn't thought about it all. He really hadn't cared about it too much. Haven figured that if the man wasn't allowed to come back he must have done something bad and was better off without him.
Eyes of jade shot up to his mother, his face clearly upset. He didn't like this! He didn't want to know who this man was. They had all done just fine without a father. The pup didn't understand why she wanted to introduce them to him. There was a strange edge to her voice that he hadn't ever heard from her before. That combined with everything else just lead to worsen his unease.
Haven looked back at the man, Conri, when he asked what their names were. The boy took a step backwards, keeping his mouth tightly shut. He didn't like any of this, and the last thing he wanted was to tell him his name. He hadn't given the pup anything, why should he give him anything? A resentment began to grow inside his chest.
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Amber, any way we could get a Conri/Nani/Anu thread??
Who would come to take her away? Never in her short life had she wanted to disappear so much. Nothing about it made any sence, but then to Mati there was so many things she didn’t know yet. A father was something as seemingly pointless as an uncle, cousin or any other of those relatives that she knew she had but didn’t understand why she had them. The word father had never been explained to her before, and so it was as irrelevant as the ground she stood on.
What she did know was, this wolf Conri Church was certainly something to afraid of. Mati was one to believe every word that her mothers spoke, there was no reason not to believe them. But it was time to disagree. The rusty male may have been her father, but there was no trust felt for him. Even if they shared last names.
The biggest indication was Haven, violet eyes spied him from their corners. He was giving ground, and keeping his mouth shut even though they had both been asked a direct question. He would know, better then she would, who to and not to trust.
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She wanted them to feel safe because they were with her...not afraid. She watched Haven carefully, then Mati, before deciding. They had to leave. Naniko hadn't wanted this to be a traumatizing event; she had told them that they would be safe if they were with her. She just wanted both of them to be cautious if they saw Conri in the future. She thought for a few moments. She could do two things at once...Conri could hear their names, and she could speak to them. "Haven...can you take Mati home now? I'll catch up to you, don't worry. But I think that you two should start to head back."
She turned back toward Conri. "They're Haven Aatte..and Mati Church. The other two are Brooklyn and Salem D'angelo."
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Some PP to get them moving 
At his mother's request his eyes shot up to her. There was a worry in them that plainly said "I won't leave you alone with him". He knew that his mom was big and strong and could take care of himself. That he was only a tiny little pup and couldn't do much to protect her from another fully grown male. But he still didn't like the thought of leaving her alone with this guy that he had such a bad feeling about. Jade eyes drifted down to his sister. She was scared. Very scared. Mati needed him more than their mother did. Haven could actually do something to help and protect his sister.
The boy nodded his head at his mother and walked over to where Mati was laying. Softly he nudged her with his nose. "Comes on Mati. I'll takes you homes," he whispered, not wanting his father to hear. He waited for her to get to her feet and start walking and he took up the rear for the moment. He stuck close to his sister's back but his eyes were plastered on the two adults until they disappeared from sight.
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None of this made any sense. Even though her mother was sure that nothing would happen to them, Mati didn’t even know what a father was supposed to be to her. It was something important, there was a internal jolt that rang through her when she thought about it, and still she didn’t know exactly how important he truly was. But tears stung her eyes, and her fear was overwhelming.
Haven pushed her along, whispering in her ear and coaxing her legs to move. Round paws took steps, following the bright color of his fur and staying silent as she turned her back to him reluctantly. Violet eyes watching Haven, who looked so much like the man they had met, Mati followed wishing they were home already.
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