Thanks for reposting this! <3
I'm NPCing Miriad. She and Sofia should play while Endy and Cally chat!
637 words. This post blows, and is extremely long. D:
Miriad scampered in a zigzag pattern down the trail, crunching crisp leaves under her awkward puppy paws. The path seemed to be paved in gold from the vast amount of foliage that had fallen. Several of the deciduous trees were bare, with the exception of those who still wore their red and orange attire. Endymion was almost aggravated that he was in his Lupus form; the lack of opposable thumbs made it impossible to pick up leaves, and the russet male had spotted nearly twenty bright ones that were keepers. His sister, however, had not yet mastered the ability to shift, and so he remained on his four legs. The amber child, several yards down the path, gave a startled yip and pranced in a tiny circle, pawing at something Endymion couldn’t see. Frowning slightly, he quickened his easy gait to a trot. “What is it, Miriad?” he called out, ready to thwart any danger in her path, even her imaginary fears.
“I found a movin’ rock!” Her light voice contained delight and confusion, and the ridiculosity of her reaction nearly made her older brother chuckle. The thing, which was actually a turtle the size of a goose egg, had been in the process of crossing the trail when the child had come bounding upon it and startled it straight out of its wits, and into its shell. When Endymion reached the pair, Miriad was pawing impatiently at the gray shell of the terrified turtle. The sight definitely made him laugh, and the girl looked at him quizzically, pausing for a moment in her poking of the “moving rock.” The older male nudged the lump tentatively, but it didn’t withdraw from its protective shell. “It’s called a turtle,” he corrected in amiable tones. Then, adding with a laugh, he said, “and I don’t think he likes being swatted at.” The amber child turned her attention back to the reptile and mirrored Endymion’s gentle nudge.
“Come out!” she yipped, jumping a fraction from the ground. Endymion chuckled again, shaking his head at her silliness. “He probably won’t come out for some time. We can come back later and see if he’s still here,” he said, beginning to continue down the path. The amber girl trotted next to him, but there was disappointment in her face. The pirate son, seeing the heartbreaking expression, poked her with his nose. He didn’t want her to feel snubbed. “Turtles move really slow, anyway. I doubt he’ll get far,” he reassured her. The statement seemed to be enough to reanimate the girl with giggles and pounces, so Endymion's feeling of guilt didn't last long.
The farther they went down the path, the stronger the scent of fresh meat became. Neither was hungry, but the smell was alluring all the same. Miriad's little nose wiggled as she took in the scent, whip-like tail thrashing on her back end. Accompanying the smell of blood was that of two others whom Endymion didn’t recognize, so they were either trespassers or new members. If they were trespassers, there would be problem. If they decided to cause trouble, he would have to defend little Miriad in a fight of one against two. The odds were rather hopeless, but what else could he do? With concern lining itself upon his features, the russet male lengthened his strides to place himself ahead of his sister, and as they rounded the bend, the wolf steeled himself for whatever was to come. Obliviously, Miriad skipped (as best as one could on four legs) by his side, humming her own invented tune. In that moment, Endymion felt very much like her father; they could have easily been mistaken for father and daughter, so what was the difference? The subordinate sighed, and as they caught sight of the strangers, he felt… like an idiot.
"Hey!" Miriad squeaked, loping awkwardly to the other pup, while Endymion offered an abashed smile.
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