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Boy! This sure was a long walk! The Aatte pup hadn't expected Inferni to be so far away. But it didn't bother him too much. He was in high spirits and he was really excited to go see Siobhan again! Plus he had found something special for her. It had been in one of the unused rooms of the mansion. It was a fluffy, stuffed, brown bear. He carried it daintly in his mouth, doing his best not to get it all slobbery. She wouldn't like it if it were all wet and gross when he gave it to her! Haven had never really played with any of the toys in the house, but when he had found the bear he thought that she might like it. She could cuddle up to it at night (and he found himself secretly wishing it would make her think of him). He really hoped that she'd like it.
By the time he was able to pick up the strong scent of what must have been the border, he thought his legs might fall off! Haven had never walked so far in his entire life! It would be worth it though, he told himself. They had had lots of fun last time, so surely they would have at least just as much fun again. He still had a lot to learn about what you were supposed to do when you went to another pack, but he did know better than to cross the borders by himself. Orange bottom plopped down into the snow, teddy bear still clutched in his teeth. Was he supposed to call for her? Or just wait quietly? The boy really wasn't sure. He guessed he should just be quiet. Jade eyes scanned around to see if he could spot his friend. But how would he be able to see her with all this snow? He'd be a lot easier for him to see than for him to see her.
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She was able to blend into the snow pretty well, but it didn't help Siobhan as much as one might think. She didn't know how to hunt at all, had never tried by herself...so her good pelt color didn't even really matter. It had never occurred to her that she should learn how to hunt for herself; her mother had always brought her food to her, and had told her that hunting wasn't something that she wanted her daughter to learn. She wanted her to learn how to tend to the den and look for other, small things to eat. Something about hunting being the male's work. Her father had gone out for very long hunting trips, sometimes for a week at a time before he would bring any food back. And her mother would refuse to go out and hunt. The coyote was attempting something today, something that she had never tried in the past. Scouting. Back at home, she had never been allowed to leave the den. But here in Inferni, they let her do whatever she liked. They even encouraged her to go out on her own. She watched the borderline with intensity, waiting for something to come across it. Then she would pounce! She sat on a raised bit of land surrounded by trees, waiting. Then...there it was! The youngster prepared to pounce, spotting the little bit of orange through the trees. She lept out from her hiding place, heading straight for them.
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He could already feel his butt getting cold, even though he hadn't been sitting there for long. It was just always cold! While he had been moving it hadn't bothered him too bad. Now that he was stopped though, he could feel it seeping into his skin. The pup gave a shake. Just as much a shiver as he was trying to rid the nasty cold from him. Little black nose sniffed the air, seeing if he could maybe catch her scent at all. Unfortunately his nose was still mostly untrained, and the only thing he could pick up was the overpowering smell of the borders. It kinda stank. It didn't smell like the borders at home at all. He crinkled his nose. The more he smelled it the more unpleasant it became.
The pumpkin pup didn't even hear the other thing running towards him. At least not until it was too late. The sound of crunching snow made him turn his head just in time to see a big fluffy white thing bowl right into him. He fell onto his back. Had he just been attacked or something? Had he been too close to the borders and whoever was around was made because of it? When he opened his eyes he found himself staring into the red colored ones of the very person he'd been looking for!
"Ssssiiobhanns. Isss mms! Hhhvvnns!" he mumbled through his mouthful of teddy bear. Oh no! Haven hoped that the snow wasn't going to get the bear all wet! That's why he'd been so careful carrying it! He squirmed a little, trying to get up and save her gift from getting too soggy. "Iisss gnnnnaa ggtts wwwttss!" He couldn't let her present get ruined! No one wanted a ruined present! The boy wriggled some more, though was careful to make sure he wouldn't hurt her.
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She was laying halfway on top of Haven and halfway on top of the teddy bear, two very fuzzy things. Siobhan hadn't realized who it was until it was too late, until she was already in the air. She had tried to land softly, but she'd had so much speed built up that it was almost impossible. "Haaavennnnn!! Siobhan is so happy to see you!" She rolled over and stood up in one motion, shaking her bushy coat out. She had never seen anything like the teddy bear that he was holding, and she looked back at him curiously. She didn't want to go out and ask about it immediately, but she really wanted to know what it was! He had said that it was gonna get wet. Oh no! Was it not supposed to be wet? Would it get ruined? She considered this, frowning. "Iss...it gonna die if it gets wet? I is very very sorry!!"
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The amount of excitement she had for him being there almost erased all of his concern for the well-being of the stuffed animal. A large grin bloomed across his muzzle and his tail thumped against the ground. "Iiissss hpppee tt sssee ooouuu tooo!" As she rolled off of him he got back to his feet, shaking the snow from his fur and hopefully the bear as well. Jade eyes searched around for somewhere he could put it down that wasn't covered in snow. Luckily there was a tree stump nearby and he waddled over to it. Using one of his big paws to sweep away the snow he gently set the toy down.
Haven looked back at Siobhan, motioning for her to come join him. "Nahs, is not gonna dies. It wasn' alive to begins with. You don' has to be sorry!" He just hadn't wanted her gift ruined! He wasn't upset at all! "I, ummm...I brought it for you. It's a toy that was in the house. I thought you might like it!" The Aatte boy looked at his friend expectantly. Oh, he really, really hoped that she liked it!
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She couldn't tell what he was saying, but she didn't mind. He sounded happy, even with the animal in his mouth. Was it some kind of prey, maybe? Had he brought her food? Siobhan really did need to learn how to hunt; sometimes she got hungry in between the times that Ezekiel came by with food. She just had to branch out on her own some more! "What's dat? A toy?"She asked. Just to clarify things. She'd had stuff that she had played with back in the den with her mom, sticks or rocks, but she had only been able to play with them in secret, when her mom wasn't home. And her mom had been home most of the time. "What does you do with a toy?"She clarified her question. The little girl jumped up onto the stump next to the bear, giving it a good nose. It smelled just like the mansion! And like Haven, too. It was a really nice, sweet smell compared to the smells that she was used to. "Smellz good! And is very soft. I like the toy a lot!"
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Jeez, how silly of him. If she hadn't known what a lick was the first time they met, how was she supposed to know what a toy was? Sometimes he didn't think about how different their two lives had been. Even though he didn't know really anything about her past, it had been clear from their first meeting that it had been very different from his. He had his mommas and his siblings who loved him and played with him all the time. They licked him and protected him and nurtured him. The pup had a feeling she had never had any of that. It didn't make any sense to him at all. She was so sweet? Who in the world would neglect her like that?
"Oh! Well, a toy's to play with and stuffs. Like when you play with a stick or something. But toys like this were mades by humans." Haven had been very interested in human stuff from the get go. He loved all the stories about knights and kings and ladies and dragons. He loved the mansion and that castle he had found with his mom. He still really wanted to go see the city, but his father had ruined that trip. That memory didn't make him happy, so he quickly pushed it from his head. "I thinks you can cuddles with them toos. Especially ones like these, that're all soft and fluffy!" The little wolf couldn't help but let out a happy yip as she said she liked it. He had done good! This was so great! "Yays! I'm so glad you likes it!"
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She didn't know what else she could do to show him how happy she was with the toy. Maybe something physical, too! It always seemed to make him happy when he got licked...so she leaned forward from her spot on the stump, giving him a lick on the forehead. "We can carry it back together, yes?" She asked, her tail wagging quickly behind her. But maybe he was too tired from carrying it all the way there! She hadn't thought of that. "Or...eh...Siobhan is not wanting to leave it here, but is you too tired to help? You lives a long way away...a long walk from there to Inferni. I's can carry it for a short while then maybe you can helpz me?" She looked at him hopefully. Then they could get back to the den and she could show him the thingy that she'd found on the beach the other day when she had met Corona!
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The Aatte boy hadn't expected the lick at all, which made it all the more enjoyable. Orange tail began to wag even faster. All of a sudden his face felt kinda hot. That was kind of strange. He had no idea what blushing was, and it had never happened to him before, but that's what it was. But it didn't matter. He was just pleased that she had been happy enough to lick him! Haven wanted to give her a lick too, but considering she was kind of towering over him at the moment, it might have been a little hard. He would just have to make a mental note to give one to her later.
At first he wasn't sure where she meant by "back", but soon she made it clear. It made him feel good that she was concerned about him being too tired to help her carry the bear back to her den. It was so sweet of her. But it really wasn't that big of a deal. The toy wasn't that heavy and he wasn't that tired. "No's, I can helps you carry it! No problems!" The pup scrambled his way onto the stump and picked up the teddy bear by one of its legs, looking to Siobhan. He was very interested to see the den she lived in! He wondered if it was anything like the one his family lived in.
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She didn't want to start going with the bear and pull it out of his mouth, and she didn't want him to either. They would have to walk in step to carry it together, which would be a little difficult. The thing that was working for them was that they were around the same size--their step size would be about the same. She looked at him before she jumped down so that she wouldn't pull too hard or fast on the bear. What if she accidentally pulled one of his teeth out?!
Once they were on the ground, the walking was much easier, though quiet. The den came into view ahead and she tried to talk through the bear. She ended up having to let go of the leg that she'd had in her mouth. "Haven! We is here! This is where I live, with Gabriel and Zeke!! Sometime you can meet them, but they aren't home right now."
She picked up her end of the bear again, hurrying toward the mouth of the cave. "The toy will fit in perfect here!" Her tail wagged quickly behind her.
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As they carried the teddy bear to Siobhan's den, Haven thought it must have been the longest time he had gone without saying anything in his whole life! It was always so talkative and curious. The only thing that could shut him up was to have something stuffed in his mouth! But he didn't mind it. He was with his friend, so he was happy regardless. As she dropped the bear to say that they were near the den, he squinted his eyes to try and see better ahead. The snow made everything too bright and hard to see! But he could make out the dark outline of a rocky cave. He hurried along beside her as they ran the rest of the way to her home. Tail wagging behind him like a little orange banner.
The cave was nice and dry, so they wouldn't have to worry about the toy getting wet inside of here. "Perfects!" he said, nodding his head. Looking around, this den was pretty similar to the one back home. Of course there were differences. But he supposed all caves looked more or less the same. Plopping down onto his haunches he stared at the beady little eyes of the teddy. "We shoulds give him a names." What would be a good name for a toy bear? Haven's lips squished together and he tried to come up with a name. "What about Toodles? It was the names of a character in a stories I heard!" Toodles had been one of Peter Pan's Lost Boys. It was a funny name.
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She was so excited to have gotten back to the den. Everything here smelled familiar--it was comforting. At first she hadn't cared for the scents around here (things smelled so different from everything back home!) but now she was used to it. She was sure that she probably smelled like the things that she lived around. Did Haven think that she smelled bad?
"Yes! Siobhan likes that name. It is a good one." She nodded. Inside the den were many furs and blankets, and she sat down on one of them. "But now Siobhan is not sure what we should do. What sounds like fun? We has no beds here to jump on!"
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Haven never really thought much about if something or someplace smelled "good" or "bad". He mostly just enjoyed finding different smells and what they belonged too. The pup knew the smell of his home very, very well. And his mommas and siblings. Really, most of the pack members for that matter. He knew what rabbits smelled like, and mice, and bears. He knew what deer meat smelled like (though he had yet to see one for himself). Inferni did have a very distinct smell that was impossible to confuse with anything else, even for a little wolf. It wasn't as pleasant as Crimson Dreams' scent, but he didn't think too much about it.
The boy's smiling mouth opened and his tongue hung out. "Yay! Goods! Glad you likes the name! Is a good story. Maybe I can tell you sometimes when I know it betters." He had a general idea of what happened in it, and he knew the characters, but he didn't feel confident enough to recite to someone without any help. Hmmm, what should they do? His tail slowly thudded against the floor of the den as he thought. "Wells, we could play pretend games. Those are always fun." Like when his momma had pretended she was a dragon and he had been a knight. "Or we coulds talk about stuff. Like our families an' what we likes." There wasn't too much he knew about Siobhan, and he wanted to know more if she was willing to share.
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They were around the same size at the moment, but she knew that Haven would grow up to be much bigger than her. She had met a big adult wolf a week or so before, Adelaida, and had seen how huge wolves could get. Siobhan didn't really mind being small, though. She could fit into places that other people couldn't, and maybe that would someday end up being an advantage for her. She could hide really easily, in places that others wouldn't be able to get to.
"Siobhan loves pretending! But she has always just done it by herself. Eating pretend food and things like that. But does Haven like it? Or does he like to talk? We can do both of them!" She went to the back of the den, grabbing hold of one of the smaller furs with her teeth, dragging it toward her orange friend. "This can be...something magic. And when Sio puts it on she can become invisible!"
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He had guessed by now that Siobhan was at least part coyote. She had a similar look to his uncle DaVinci and his cousin Ty, and they had both had coyote blood in them. Haven didn't know that he also had some coyote in him from his father's side. It wasn't much, but it was still there. The boy didn't like thinking about his father. It made him uneasy. The fact that they had looked so similar had given him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't like it at all.
Thankfully his friend quickly provided him a distraction from such unwanted thoughts. "I loves pretending too! My momma Anu and I play pretend games a lot. I likes to talk too, but we cans pretends while we talk!" Now why hadn't he thought of that? Doing both at the same time. It was so smart! He stood up and watched as the fluffy girl pulled a fur from the back part of the den forward. His jade eyes grew wide. He loved magic! And a fur that could make you invisible sounded like so much fun! "Wows! That's amazin'!" Smiling, he took one edge of the fur and pulled it over her body. "You were rights! I can' see you now!" he gasped.
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The only thing that she knew about Haven's family was that they all liked licking each other a lot. She did like it when she got a lick from someone, especially the laughing boy in front of her, so she felt like she would fit in with them. If they would lick her too, anyway. Maybe they didn't lick strangers...or friends of their family. Her parents had never had any friends, and she had only seen her father a couple of times. Her mother had never tried licking him or anything like that.
She could remember that there had been another pup there, a gray and tan one that had followed her father around...but she'd been so young that she couldn't remember many of the details. His name was stuck in her head, though, even if she didn't know who the pup was. "Mmm...Invisible Siobhan speaks now! She has...a mother and a father. But they is at home, and she is hereeee. And another puppy too...but she does not remember much of him. He was there sometimes, and eated with her, but he did not talk. His name was Raoul" She tilted her head back, letting the fur fall down her back a little bit so that she could see. "Haven does too--has other puppies that stay with him. Yes?"
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After he had pulled the invisibility fur over her, Haven stumbled around, swiping his paw in the air to try and find her. His eyes scanned over the den, trying to catch sight of his temporarily invisible friend. "That's some impressive fur! I don' have any ideas where you are!" It was fun to play and pretend stuff like this. Imagination was one of his greatest assets. If someone told him to see something in a different way, or imagine something that wasn't there, he had no problem doing it. It made the world more exciting if you never knew what could be hiding around the next tree or rock!
As Siobhan started to talk, the Aatte pup jumped as if he had been startled by the voice. His head spun all around trying to see where his friend was, but it was no use! She was still invisible! So she did have parents, but they weren't here? Had she traveled here all by herself? Even though he wandered away from home quite often he couldn't imagine leaving for good. "Do you misses them?" Maybe she had left because they were bad or sick, like his father. The boy nodded his head. "Yes! I has two sisters and a brother. I play with my sister Mati a lots. My brother Salem too's. Brooklyn not so much, she can be kind of a meanie." She wasn't really mean to him, but she picked on Mati and that was not okay with him. "I have two mommies. And...I have a father, but I only saw him once. They say he's sick. He gave me a bad feeling."
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