take my hand, off to never-never land.
#1
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For Lubomir. [WC: 732; WotD: contretemps]


Wandering again. Catharsis had been putting distance between herself and her siblings, and her new guardian. She wanted to trust them, really. But she seemed to be the only one on the right page here. Mama was coming back. She was. She had to be. Anyone who didn't believe that was crazy. Or stupid. Or lying to her. Whichever it was, she didn't want anything to do with it, and listening to the doubts of her siblings when she explained that Mama was bringing them a wondrous gift from far, far away and would have to go on a long, dangerous journey with many perils, perils that she did not want her children exposed to.. she didn't want to hear their doubts, or their amusement. Whenever she brought it up anywhere where someone might hear, they treated the entire situation as an annoying contretemps, something they would be embarrassed for others to hear. Maybe it was peer pressure. None of them wanted the other to know that they believed it. But Catharsis didn't like cowards like that. No sir.


Curled up at the foot of the Virgin Mary, which might have been amusing, had Catharsis known who the statue was of or why, the girl slept. Her eye was nearly healed, and a large scar showed. She'd noticed a blur to that side, difficulty focusing on anything, but she couldn't explain it. It was just terribly fuzzy. She laid her head on her paws, sighing softly as the rain fell. It had been snowing when she'd come here, but now it was just a downpour of rain, and she hated it. It was miserable, like her. Mama needed to hurry up with that gift, so she could prove them all wrong. This weather just wasn't meant for being away from the den. She curled up tightly, trying to warm herself against the rain. She should go back before it got too cold, before everyone worried. But she didn't want to listen to their negativity, and so she stayed, shivering, and tried to get some sleep. She didn't sleep much in the den. It was hard to sleep in the presence of cowards and traitors. She wanted to go find Mama. Maybe she could do that... follow her mother's trail and catch up with her.. it'd only been a couple days, she could probably find her..


Yes, that was what she would do! Just because Mama didn't want to bring all of them, didn't mean she didn't want Catharsis there. Her Mama loved her. Even though she'd hurt her eye, Mama still loved her little girl. Catharsis just knew it. If she caught up with her, she'd explain this whole silly thing, exactly the way Catharsis had, and her siblings would be proven wrong for good. Hooray, what a wonderful idea she had gotten! Looking up at the Virgin Mary, she grinned. "I'm going to find my Mama! Would you like to come?!" When the statue just stared, as it had been for longer than Catharsis could imagine, she took that to mean that the lady needed to stay. Why of course! This was the border between her land and another one. This lady probably kept the peace and made sure everyone was safe. "Ah, yes, you must guard these lands! I'm sorry you can't come, though. It will be a fabulous adventure." She pretended the statue had just wished her good luck and safe travels (perhaps, in her imaginative state, the thing truly had), and bowed slightly, awkwardly. "Thank you, madam! I will come back and tell you how it went! And you can meet my Mama! She is nice, you will like her a lot! Good bye now! Happy guarding, and do take care! See you when we return!" She called the words over her shoulder now, her journey begun.


She had planned to valiantly, like knights in Mama's stories... but she couldn't remember which way she'd come from, let alone which way she should go in order to find her mother or even pick up her scent. Maybe the statue lady knew. "Excuse me.. which way do I go, madam?" Looking around, it seemed that she and the Virgin agreed which way she should go, so with another bow, she was off and running, ready to find her mother and fix her family. She was running...


Right back into Dahlia.



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#2
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OOC: Has you some mega delay fail! 300+



The weather was so miserable, but Lubomir supposed that it fit the whole mood of the pack. And why not? The Haku and Firefly puppies were missing, gone without a trace. Where to start looking? Where? He was sleeping less and less and his mind seemed to be one huge infinite black hole. He could not make out properly where his reality ended and his dreams started. He would lie awake next to Mew and hold her close, inhaling her scent. Then the next thing he could remember he was wondering through his books, dazed and bleary-eyed, awake for far too long. Now, though, he could at least say where he started and where he ended instead of being one giant circle of confusion and dread.


It needed to stop raining. Maybe that way he could find his head, calm down. Find the puppies. Everything would be perfectly okay. Maybe he could be a father, too? Maybe he and Mew... how could he even consider something like that? The grey wolf let out a small whine. Where could those children be? Where? He closed his eyes and tried to picture himself somewhere else, maybe home, back home, his real home. He could almost imagine his sister nuzzling his awake, her cold wet nose pressing against his side, her fur mingling with his. The den still held the collective warmth of the pack, the sighing forms of the others. There was someone pressing against his leg, someone nice and warm, someone safe. Lubomir opened his eyes. He was cold and wet and the someone pressing into him was a rock. Nothing like the Old Country. Nothing at all.


With a sigh, the male got up and shook himself. He was ready to go back to the house he shared with his mate when a form caught his eye. A small form. Running. What the... Lubomir's eyes widened. One of the puppies? No, much older. Well, older than the missing ones. Lubomir's form tensed. Who was this lost thing? Hello? Stop right there! Tell me who you are! He couldn't believe his eyes. Maybe this pup was lost. It sure as hell was doing a lousy job as a spy.






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#3
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I slack like crazy. Sorry. [WC: 244]


Small black head whipped around faster than the matching body, and Catharsis found herself on her stomach, legs splayed about at awkward angles, having slipped out from under her, as they often did. She tilted her head up at the male, whining softly, not exactly a sad sound, but more like confused. "Are Catharsis de Sadira," she stated as she scrambled to her feet, then proceeded to run around the male a couple of times. Did she know him? Nope, nope, he was new. She stopped in front of him, then realized that she hadn't asked him who he was. She should do it appropriately.. she wouldn't want to offend him, he was a grown-up, and grown-ups were scary when angered.


Leaping towards him and posturing herself in a foolish caricature of the male's stance, she yelled gleefully at him. "Hullo! Stap rye-ut thar! Tal meh whos ye arrrrr!" She drew out the last word dramatically, trying to imitate his display. Clearly, this was the way she was supposed to greet people here. She wasn't sure why, since she thought it might be a little intimidating, but she couldn't be expected to understand their silliness. She was just a pup, and this was a whole new culture, a whole new place. She would need to follow the rules. Pausing, she tilted her head and looked at him, grinning. "Do good say hullo?" she asked slowly, the grin not fading as she awaited his reply.



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#4
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OOC: 400+


Lubomir blinked. He kept on blinking as the pup skidded around and ended up on her back in front of him. Uh, she was sure silly for a spy. Unless she was just a distraction. At the thought, he quickly looked around, but there was nothing and no one. The white male could only shrug and look back down, just in time to see her circling him. He had very little experience with young ones, mostly from his sister being fiercely protective of her children in the first few weeks and him now having fathered any of his own. His thoughts turned back to the missing boys. But now was not the time to mope. His ears had finally picked up on the child's words. Sadira? His angel was a Sadira. Who did this puppy belong to, exactly. Little one, little Catharsis. I am Lubomir Varg. Who is your mum? What's happened to you? The more he concentrated on the scent, the clearer it became that this one belonged to Dahlia. He could smell Cercelee on her. Had the Rosea had pups?


No, no, surely she would have alerted everyone at the pack meeting. And this young one was much too old to have been born recently. Lubomir was becoming more and more flustered. What exactly was this girl up to? A Sadira and member of Dahlia. Fine. But who did she belong to? He tried to rack his brains. The pack was so big these days that it was hard to tell where one member started the chain and the last closed it. It was getting closer to a mob than to a family. Her greeting made him smile and he could honestly say that it was the first smile in a long time. Who was this young girl? You did well, yes. But a simple hello would have been even better. You shouldn't repeat everything I say. Lubomir got a closer look at the child. Hey, come here, what happened to your eye? Would anyone see to her?


Anxiously, he looked around again. Should he call for Cercelee? Or Haku? No, the sight of a child might anger the leader. Perhaps Cwmfen would be better. Lubomir wasn't sure how the warrior handled children, but there was no doubt that she might be better suited. He looked down at the pup again. Who could she belong to? The question nagged at him and for all that he wanted to call out for the Adonis, he decided instead to wait and see. Perhaps the child would explain the situation better and there would be no need for the leaders to come.









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#5
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Teehee, cute. [WC: 524]


Too many questions, and very few answers. If there was one thing that the small black pup could rarely keep a grasp on, it was being asked many things all at once. Even one question could be too much, in a language that she was only beginning to grasp. Nobody had bothered to teach her English - the only one she knew who spoke both English and German was Mama. That reminded her of what the first question had been. Her mum. Mama? Perhaps. The words sounded similar. "Mama Anyanka de Sadira. Call Anka." The explanation of her mother's nickname, a term that the pup wouldn't have had a prayer of knowing, was rough, but the best she could do. "Eh.. Englus no good," she tried to explain. "Say Deutsch.. German.." 'Say' wasn't the word she was looking for, but she couldn't remember 'speak'.. it was close, anyhow. She struggled to remember the next question, tilting her head as she sat nearby the male, face contorted in thought.


Ah, yes. 'What's happened to you?' What a confusing question. Lots of things had happened to her. She had been born, she ate, she walked, she ran, she played. Sometimes she spent time with her siblings. Mama had left them to go on her grand adventure, and she had come to live with Cer and Slay, whose names from the first night had not necessarily stuck. Why would this wolf ask her such a question? "Happen? Many happen. What mean?" Her confusion reflected in her voice, and she frowned in concentration. Perhaps she should go onto the next thing. "Simple?" she inquired, followed by, "Why no repeat? Say Englus. Hear.. learn?" The only English she knew was what she had heard from others, and all she knew of the customs here was what she'd seen, although it was all so confusing, she may as well have not learnt a thing. "You no say right?" she asked. Maybe he had done it wrong. Then she was doing it wrong, too. Oh no! What if everything she had learnt was wrong?


As the male examined her eye, she winced and growled a little. "Eye bad! Mama say..." The anger was short-lived, breaking to make way for sadness. "Mama do. Say red bad. Ahren..." Would this male recognize her grandfather's name? Hopefully not. She wasn't even sure if Cercelee knew about Ahren. Mama hadn't talked about him much. Quickly, the pup tried to change the subject, not wanting this male to think that she was bad because she had the same eye as Ahren. "Has gold. Gold Aiji. She good. Mama mama." Aiji Sadira had been her mother's mother, a dark girl like her daughter and granddaughter, with golden eyes like Cath's right one. Driven mad by the evil of Ahren, and Anka. Catharsis didn't want to be bad. "No bad. Cath good. Nice." She nodded, as if to prove her point. "Cercelee like. Stay Cercelee. Mama go." She nodded again, affirming her statements - her mother had left, and she was staying with Cercelee, who liked her. Obviously, if Cercelee liked her, she must be good. Right?



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