[html] All welcome.  Maybe another younger wolf/coyote?
The cold here dug right down to the bone, engulfed what warmth it could in a shivery blanket. Beppe's dark fur was puffed up around him, his legs pulled up against his chest and his arms around those, and still he felt as if his skeleton may as well be made of icicles. Winter, perhaps, was a bad time to stumble upon the white shores of a new continent, especially unprepared. Although, it was true that whatever preparations they may have made probably would have been insufficient, and only aesthetic. Pretty gloves, pretty hats. It wasn't so much the wind here that bothered him anyways, though the ocean did seem to tow a pretty heavy one. Right now the boy felt as if anything would have been futile, anyways, and the despite how different the ocean was in his beautiful coastal town from the ocean that ran against these rocks, it was the similarities that he found and focused on. They had followed the ocean all the way over from Italy, so it must be the same one. The water that flowed over there also flowed here.
Usually one to wander and explore (which was, really, what got him in this mess in the first place), the boy felt too cold and miserable to wander any further than this. It was only the ocean that beckoned him there, and he had slipped past his mother to make the long trek out from the Clouded Tears packland. The boy hadn't worried about being able to find his way back, though it was something his unfledged sense of direction never seemed to be able to do. He had learned many things on the way; there were more groups of wolves than he thought when they had arrived, and there was even what he thought was a group of coyotes living together. He had avoided all of these packs, feeling as if he had been drawn out of his shell enough, and needing time to recover. Speaking English was exhausting for him, even though he loved conversation. Despite the cold, Beppe could feel energy flowing back into him as he sat beneath the muffled quiet. It was just him and his newly appreciated friend the ocean, now, and the language that they spoke was universal.
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[html] Hope you don't mind me Empusa's a butthead, but she's a chicken at heart.She was on patrol again, just as the others had instructed. See a wolf, hurt a wolf. Empusa was learning fast.
The young coyote strode along the beach on four legs, walking along the shoreline. She could smell that a wolf was nearby, and she was going to find them--and do whatever she could to harm or annoy them. Sometimes they were simply too big for her to take...stupid creatures. Why'd the coyotes have to be the smaller race? Empusa was tiny, even for a coyote...her hybrid blood hadn't helped her, as she'd thought it would. She wanted to be huge-as large as a wolf...but still be a coyote.
All of this land belonged to her. At least...that's what she believed. The coasts were the coyotes', no matter what coast it was. The wolves lived inland. So this piece of the beach would be hers.
Her red eyes swept out before her, finally catching sight of the other. The words slipped out of her mouth as she approached, mumbling to herself in French. "loup idiot..."She came upon the wolf, taking in its size. Not too big. Good. "Vot do you think you are doing here, volf? Zeese lands belong to me, to ze coyotes"[/html]
[html]  Yay! Of course I don't mind. 
Beppe's toe slipped off a stone and through the thin layer of ice as the other's voice punctured his reverie. He jumped a little at her presence, gasping at the sudden cold around his foot at the same time, and turned to face the hybrid. His brown eyes surveyed her, running down her features and the expression she wore. The boy didn't seem to notice that his mouth had fallen open. It was obvious he was unwelcome here, but the other's accent made something else inside him twinge. He stared for a moment more before spluttering out some meek words, "Oh. Really?" He hadn't noticed a possesive coyote scent as he neared the shore, though he knew there were some coyotes nearby. He stood up, still eying the other. "I have not known, I'm sorry."
Uncertainty was the only emotion he was feeling at the moment, and though he was standing now, he didn't move, giving the coyote a skeptical stare. "You are sure?" He felt too flighty to pause and try to pick up some clues, and just continued letting his eyes rest on the other, waiting for affirmation. The young wolf wasn't completely sure which way was out, anyways, and his heart was beating too fast to allow his mind to construct a map of where he had been. He was frozen almost like a deer in the headlights, and rather than making any movements he simply waited for a response, resting his eyes on the French canine.
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[html]We should turn this into some sort of a chase, where Empusa -might- actually start to enjoy herself a little bit. Then freak out about enjoying playing with a wolf. xD
There were times that she felt bad for the things that she said and did, times that she wondered what her mother would think if she was here. It wasn't good manners to speak to someone like this, especially someone that she didn't even know. What would mama say? But then she remembered the truth; that her mother was one of them, one of the enemy. Wolves. At least...Monet had looked enough like a wolf to be counted as one. Even in her own daughter's eyes. Empusa was glad to be rid of her! What would she look like amongst the coyotes, with a huge white timberwolf creature stalking along behind her?
Morality wasn't in her vocabulary any more. She glared at the wolf as he struggled to find a response, her eyes sitting intensly upon his form. She'd heard that red eyes were sometimes hard to look at. Maybe if she stared at him even harder she'd scare him more.
"Zat is understandable, in its own way. You Volves do not seem like very...eh...what is the vord...knowledgable creatures. But yes. All of zis is mine." If she insisted upon it, maybe he would believe it. If he didn't believe it, she'd be forced to take action. "Do you not understand ze Eee-nglish?" Maybe that was it. The thing didn't know English! "Vell, vat is it that you speak? So zat I can explain myself more clearly to you." She came closer to him with each of those last words, standing right next to the rock.[/html]
[html] Sounds like a plan ;P
Snowflakes started to build up on the young wolf's shoulders, now that he didn't feel free enough to brush them off. The other's gaze seemed intent on intimidizing him, but he was familiar with eye contact and didn't really give it any thought. Beppe's own, chestnut, eyes rested on the other as she started spewing out English that was, possibly, only a few months better than his own. Maybe there would be a little compassion there. Perhaps, because English was apparently both their second language, they would find some common ground. Beppe smiled a little, trying to strip the accent off the words and then put them in terms he could understand.
The coyote's words seemed mean but Beppe couldn't help but be vaguely amused. Despite whatever biting emotions were behind the cruelties directed at him, so acerbic, a bubbling flow of childish beguilement was starting to rush through his arms and legs. Perhaps it was these strange snowflakes, falling so playfully on his nose and creating little frosty frames around his eyelashes. The possibility that this was, really, this coyote's land, was starting to fade away, and the new feeling of faux safety was making him feel silly as well. He had not yet celebrated this new climate, this new beginning!
With a twinkle in his eye, Beppe eyed the other and, taking a little breath in as if to signal the beginning of a speech, he said, "No, I guess ve are not... very... knowledgable..." He did his best to imitate the other's French accent, and on top of his Italian one it came out sounding rather frilly. The boy's heart was beating quite quickly now, and he was finding it harder and harder to keep the burgeoning smile from finding the crack in his lips. "I, ah, speaka ze... Eetaliano." As she stepped forward, he lifted the top of his head just a little bit, stretching his neck out. His left foot was turned to the side, in order to make a quick escape at the perfect time to provoke a merry little chase.
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[html]This was, undoubtedly, one of the strangest conversations that she'd ever had. It would be better if they both spoke the same home language; he was hard for her to understand and she was hard for him to understand. English was the middle ground. Empusa was only seven months old, but she had a fairly good grasp of English; her mother had tried to instill it into her alongside the regular French that she'd known.
"Zat is a good accent--ze French. A good try" Despite what she was trying to do, intimidate him, she was starting to smile. It was hard, not having any pups that wanted to play with her back in Inferni...no one hardly even wanted to talk to her. The last one she'd had a conversation with had been Hybrid, and it'd been about how bad wolves were.
It rarely snowed on the coast...she'd never seen it. Just rain. She'd seen it built up on the ground, on outside territories, but had never had it fall down onto her. It was strange! She hadn't noticed the snow before, she'd been so focused on the other. Empusa looked up at the flakes as they fell, moving around, trying to not let them fall onto her. "Eek! Zis...oof. I do not like it"
She crouched down next to the rock, curling her tail around her paws, closing her eyes. "Doez it hurt? Ze small pieces? I have had big pieces of zis thrown at me before!"[/html]
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The boy had, really, been trying at the accent quite hard, so he appreciated the compliment. As the edges of his lips curled up to form a faux bashful smile, he nodded his head briskly and said, rolling the R more than was really neccessary, "Merrrrrci." The boy watched the other for a moment before stumbling a foot's length backwards as she started to dodge the snowflakes in what seemed to be some strange dance. A French tradition, perhaps, to celebrate the coming of the first snow? Maybe he should dance along, to show that his nationalistic poking was all in good fun.
Her next words offered a little insight into what exactly was running through her head, but Beppe started moving his shoulders to and fro anyways, as well as shaking his tail, mostly in mockery. As she crumpled beside a stone, he tried very hard not to let himself grin; it would throw off his French accent completely. Managing to maintain it, he replied, "Yes, vell, zey are awfully sharp... Ze corners, you know..." The thought of snowballs brought back memories of Milano, and the balls that him and his parents would roll in the forest. Now was not the time to think of things like that, though. New beginning! It was fun time.
He stopped his dancing and put his finger to his chin, leaning side to side to peer around the rock and see if his new playmate was watching him. "Seee, vis ze big pieces, ze balls, the edges are rounnnded, and smooz.. so, show you, I vill, so zat you can seeeee ze differenze. Here is a momennt to observe ze flakes." As he allowed her that moment, he took a few steps away from where the water reached, and began to press snow into his large hands. He was not used to making snowballs in this form, and often they fell apart, but the temperature was warm enough that they would stick. "And here... ze snowball." He stood back up, held the ball in his hand, and waited for a moment before lofting the ball towards her back. The boy wouldn't throw it too hard, of course; that wouldn't be fair for so many reasons. It was the first hit, she was a girl, and also... she was French.
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[html]She gasped when he spoke, opening her eyes. If they were sharp, she couldn't feel them...only a strange, cold sensation. That didn't keep her from believing it, though, and she kept her eyes firmly closed. The flakes might not be able to get her through her fur, as it was fairly thick, but she couldn't trust that they wouldn't hit her in the eyes, and cut them. She wondered a little bit about the snow on the ground, why its edges weren't sharp...but maybe they were broken, from the fall. That made sense. The snowflakes had broken.
She could hear him moving nearby, changing positions and she opened her eyes warily, keeping them partway closed against the assault of the falling snowflakes. It was strange, how she was taking the advice of a wolf...but she wasn't thinking about Beppe as a wolf any more. Just another youngster like herself...one that, so far, was making pretty good conversation.
Empusa couldn't shift, she hadn't learned that yet, so she couldn't make the snowballs very well...even if she had wanted to. She looked up at him when he told her to look at the flakes, seeing the pieces drifting down between them. His speech was making her smile again. "You are making fun--mocking" She said, watching him past all of the snowflakes.
The next thing she knew he had a snowball in his hand, and was lobbing it toward her. She dug her claws into the snow beneath her to pull herself out of the way, skidding a little bit and landing on her side. Usually an attack like his on a coyote would call for an all-out-war, but Empusa didn't think about that. She laughed, panting a little bit in surprise. She stood up, shaking some of the snow out of her fur. "Zat was a good try, volf--now my turn"
She had no idea how to make a snowball. So she'd settle for the next best thing. She came towards him then turned so that her back was to him, digging her back feet into the snow, kicking it at him. [/html]
[html]Yes, he was mocking. He would've felt bad about it if he didn't see the smile that was on her face as she accused him of it, too, but as it was he was elated, filled up with some strange feeling that was lighter than air and brighter on the sun on these cold days. The boy giggled, too, something that he hadn't done for a very long time. Shaking his hands to get the melting snow off of them, he smiled back. Keeping up the French accent was undeniably fun, but it was too hard for Beppe to maintain while concentrating hard. Snowball fights were serious business.
The coyote dodged the ball he had thrown, casting herself out of the protection of the rock and landing on her side. The Italian laughed again, eyes trained on the other as she turned, all legs and motion. Somehow the snow she picked up managed to get up into his eyes, and he stumbled backwards, gargling out some strange nonsense. "Aghhh, my eyes!! Look vut have you done, you fiend! Ze pointz, zey are shteecking right into my eyes!" Before he might have thought it was unfair to be shifted while she was not, but apparently there were advantages to each side.
After a moment he stopped his screaming, giggled again, and took a few hurried steps before crouching beside a rock and making another snowball. He was too far away from her at the moment for him to trust his aim, so he stalled, taking a few slow, sneaky steps torwards her.[/html]
[html]Empusa was interested in the way that he spoke; she wondered if his language sounded anything like hers. There were a few French words that sounded a lot like English, so maybe some French words would sound like Itallian, too. That might make it easier to learn. She'd never thought that she would want to learn another language, as she'd learned these two naturally, when she had just been learning how to talk...but she did. She really wanted to know. If she knew Itallian, then she could talk to him without having to worry about the way she phrased things. English was way too difficult.
She was acting like a little schoolmaid, acting young for her age...but she didn't care! Maybe she wasn't acting young at all; maybe she was acting just as a young pup was supposed to act. At Inferni things were so very different, much more serious; there was no time for play. If there was play at all it was classified as a "match" where there was a winner or a loser. She didn't like that too much.
She turned back around triumphantly, her red eyes trained on him, looking for a reaction. And oh, did she get one. Her mouth fell open as he shrieked in pain, and she immediately dropped all of her other thoughts, letting worry and anxiety take their place. Had she really hurt him? She hadn't been hit with the snowball at all, she had dodged it...so she didn't know how bad snow really hurt. Maybe it hurt even more when it wasn't in a ball!
But soon he was back up on his feet, laughing. Empusa looked at him as he scampered away, puzzled. He wasn't hurt? He had been joking with her! "Zat will be enough of you pulling my foot, Beppe! Or...leg? Yes! Pulling my leg! You vill not be pulling on my leg any more!" She was going to turn around and run, but that would be too easy! Instead, as he walked toward her, she rushed him, gaining speed as her paws dug deep into the crusy snow. She bounced a little as she ran at him, her fur puffed up defensively against the snow that was falling down.
Empusa went to the side at the last minute, unsure of whether the snowball had hit its mark or not; she was too full of adrenaline. "I am verrry fast, Tears-Volf--if you can catch me, ve can 'ave a real match" It might be fun to teach him about the matches, just playing. They could wrestle, maybe. If he could catch her.[/html]
Oh gosh, sorry for the wait. Time is flying.
Beppe hadn't heard either of those expressions before, but he mostly went along with it anyways, lifting his hands into the air and shaking his head. He wasn't completely sure what it meant, but obviously it was something he was doing so it couldn't really be that bad. She was smiling, right? Before he could formulate a witty response, she was charging him, and at the last minute he dipped out of the way, feet slipping on the rocks. He was quite lucky to stay upright.
As he was, he definitely wouldn't be able to catch her; he was still slightly clumsy in his were form, or at least he wasn't able to run confidently. The boy knew it would let him quite a bit behind, but it was short term loss long term gain. He stopped and shifted as quickly as he could. The uncomfortableness of it all was almost gone, now, it was just the idea of it that really bothered him. He could push it out of his mind, anyways. Adrenaline was a wonder drug.
His paws slipped against the rocks as he regained his balance and turned to check on what direction he should head towards. He spotted the girl quite far away given the time he thought he spent -- she was quick -- and started to chase after her. The snowflakes that melted as they hit the ground made a slimy lubricant for the stones on the beach, and the boy was unable to run as fast as usual. It was definitely tricky terrain.
The boy scrabbled across the shore, eyes steady on the escaping girl even though his head was being thrown in a different direction each time his paws slid down the side of the next stone. After a bit he was about ready to give up chasing her. Perhaps speed was not his thing, but surely he was stronger than her. Slowing his bumbling pace to what he hoped was a menacing stroll, he continued towards her. "Hey, French doggie," he called out, "Come back to me, and I will pull on your tail instead!" It sounded kind of mean, he thought, but the smile on his face gave up his real intentions.
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ooc: No worries! :]]] We definitely have to have another thread after this. If you have time, anyway.
secretly falling apart
The part about him pulling on her tail didn't bother her much, but the first thing did. "You vould call me a doggie? How harsh" She sniffed overdramatically, pausing in her steps and turning back around towards him. She was quite a ways ahead of him now, she noted...best to give him some time to catch up. Empusa was used to walking over rocks and sand, the only difference was the snow that was covering everything. And that felt enough like algae beneath her feet that she had barely noticed the difference.
Empusa's tail swayed from side to side slowly as she awaited his approach, crouching down into the play-position. "We will see if you can get my tail" He was in his wolf form, which did concern her a little bit. She hadn't even seen him change into it!
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Yes, definitely! And I meant to imply that Beppe shifted from his were form to his normal form, sorry! D: I like your new set. :3
Though Beppe had been joking, there were always cultural issues one had to worry about. North America was so much different than Europe in so many ways, and certainly what was socially acceptable was different as well. That was one thing that made him glad he had found a friend who was also foreign; even if she knew that something was just not said around here, he would understand where he was coming from. It probably wouldn't stop him from being embarassed, though.
"I suppose I have.." the boy said as he started to gain ground on her -- now that she had stopped, at least. He still struggled to walk across the rocks but now that he had all four paws on the ground he had a bit more to balance on. He was unable to pull the smirk off his face, even though the air and the little bits of snow were so cold on his gums.
When he figured he was close enough, Beppe bowed as well. "Yes, ve vill see. Or maybe you vill not even see it coming!" As he was finishing the last syllable, he leapt. The boy hadn't taken the covering of snow into account again, though, and most of his energy went into trying to get a good grip on the stones. Barely reaching her, the boy stumbled to regain his footing and instead tumbled onto the ground. Not getting up, he called from his splayed position on the ground, "See! You did not see zat one coming!" He did his best to imitate her French accent again.
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ooc: xD I forgot! Sorry ^^ I edited mine. And thank you! I made it because I kept seeing everyone elses' and got jealous >_>;
secretly falling apart
Her tail was flicking back and forth steadily now as her mind focused on the play. She'd never had such a good time in her entire life! Well, except for the time she'd played with Merit. She sort of liked him, a little, but hadn't seen him in a while. Beppee was a lot of fun, too-she definitely would have to see him again, too!
She wondered where he lived. Legacy had said that their pack was on good terms with the coyotes, Jaded Shadows, but was his pack, as well? Did it even matter? She would go to see him regardless, even if she might get into trouble for consorting with the wolves.
Empusa awaited his pounce, eyes widening when he fell short, landing on the snow and rocks in front of her. She was almost going to laugh, but at the same time she felt worried--had he gotten hurt? "Are you all right, Beppe?" But his answer reassured her. She pranced around to the back side of him, trying to make a grab for his tail.
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No worries! :] Hahaha, that's a good reason!  I'm starting to get jealous, I might have to make myself a new one..
Beppe had grown up mostly in the forest with only his parents, or on a boat with his mother, and never really had a playmate or even a place to play by himself. Now that the opportunity was available he seemed to revert to the sillier puppy phase that, while most others went through, he had to supress. Though he was older and the play had the potential to be more dangerous, he found it great fun and was finally enjoying himself the way he was supposed to. He hit the ground fairly hard, but either his body still had that puppyish spring to it or he was having too much fun to notice the blunt pressure of the stones. The coast was probably one of the more tricky places to play, but that just meant he had a head start in the other territories. He still hadn't visited many, and though the thought of adventure had been carried as a crucial plan earlier, any thought of the future had been erased.
He was pleased about the girl's concern, and also glad that it disappeared right away. As she hopped around him, her motives were made clear and Beppe rolled over once to evade her before waving his legs in the air (his motives were unclear to even him, but it felt right. A distraction, perhaps?). A surge of energy flushed through him and he jumped to his feet, crying as he spun to face the girl, "Ze tail is ze Italian's most prized possession! You must not steaaal, or you vill be punishhhed!" He shook his head back and forth as he said it, as if it added some sense of peril. Bowing again, he faked in both directions before flouncing crabwise around her side, trying to keep his own tail as far away as he could from her mouth while he approached hers. He hadn't completely accustomed himself to the rocks quite yet, and his paws were still slipping. He would be very vulnerable to a pounce or really, any downwards force, but the notion didn't cross his mind and he didn't make any precautions against it.
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ooc: Hahaha--you could have just said "JUMP ON HIMMMM" xDDD Nice way with words there.
secretly falling apart
Sometimes she wished that she knew how to shift; she'd be able to defend herself easier. Right now Beppe had down-shifted to his four-legged form, and she wondered why. To put them on more even ground, perhaps? Or maybe he could move faster in that form. All of this ran through her head as she bounced around, her eyes trained on him. She could bounce rather high, and occasionally got a really big leap in, sending her high above his head.
"Punished how? Ze french--we take our punishments in stride" She wasn't even sure what that meant, but it sounded okay. "And you have underestimated my jumping skills--I am as quick as a fox!" She lept toward him before he could get his teeth any closer to her tail, trying to get him down onto the ground. If he was immobile he wouldn't be able to run away. Then his tail would be hers! Of course, she didn't realize; if she did leap on him and catch his, he'd be within full reach of hers, as well.
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........I am a master of subtlety -wink-
stay here, lie with me here
........Perhaps it was some sort of downgrading, emotionally, that led Beppe to shift back onto all four paws. He always looked at his were form as more mature, more elegant, and perhaps more sophisticated. Such was the form of fancy clothes and days in the park. The boy was much bigger in his were form, but felt much more solid on the slippery ground on all four paws (not that that was saying much). Like a young pup, he found it substantially less uncomfortable, physically, to explore new territory in the natural state.
........Beppe was vaguely aware that the real bout here was the physical one; everything that was coming out of his mouth was semantics, and he was sure the same went for the coyote girl. "Oh, you will see your punishment!" The heights to which she was hopping surprised him, especially how she somehow managed to stay upright on the landings. He didn't dare to even lift a paw too high above the ground, for fear that it might not return all that gracefully.
........A guttural noise escaped the boy as he was pushed to the ground by one of her flying leaps, and he turned partially over onto his back and waved his legs in the air again. Perhaps he would be able to dislodge her and get her on the ground as well. It was her time, wasn't it? He really hoped that, in the end, he would be the one with a tail fastened securely between his jaws. To have his own incapacitated would just be embarassing.
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ooc:
secretly falling apart
Empusa was having a good time, one of the best times she'd ever had. The only time she could remember having more fun than this was the time that Monet had taken her to play in the city--they'd run up and down the streets and had the best time. She would always hold the memory of her mother higher than anything else in her life--she knew that she would see Beppe again, that was certain, but she didn't think that she was going to see Monet again.
She brought herself back to the task at hand. They were a jumble of paws, teeth, and tails, and just as soon as Empusa got his into her sight it was gone again--and she was being pushed away from him. Where had that come from?! She landed on her side in the sand and lay there for a few moments, surprised and winded.
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[html]  thanks so much for the table ))
And the sun will set for you
Beppe had managed to get the girl off of him, but in the moments after he struggled to roll over he felt a wave of panic and guilt sweep over him. She seemed to be a little stunned, and without getting to his feet, the wolf nudged her on the cheek. "Ey, little French doggie... is everything all okay?" Perhaps this wasn't the safest place to play, and perhaps he had misjudged his own strength. He hadn't played for so long that he never really got a handle on how fast he was growing or what power he might actually have.
He wondered if there were places where there were beds of moss, soft and spongy enough to fall on and then roll right over. The terrain here was gritty at best and blunt force was never good when applied to a ribcage or, especially, one's skull. At this point it seemed unfair to grab her tail, and still without getting up, he merely watched her in uncertainty. They had cleared quite a bit of snow off the ground around them, but the land was beginning to reveal more than Beppe had seen in the first place.
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