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ooc: Sorry this is a bit short, I'm tired.
Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk. The rain pattered down on the cabin roof loudly, the wind brushing against the walls briskly. Xeris was sitting with her back against the wall, holding a bundle of blankets in her arms as she took in the warmth of the fire. The bundle squirmed gently every now and again as the three tiny forms inside of it moved around. Looking down at her children, the white wolfess smiled. She would sit here and keep them warm during the autumn showers, and into the winter.
She noticed something out of place suddenly. Reaching down, she managed to catch one of the tiny white puppies before he wandered too far from her arms. "Come on, Delwyn," she said softly, "We don't want you to get away, little one." Placing him gently among the blankets, Xeris watched the young pup bury himself in amongst his brother and sister. Carwyn was asleep and didn't seem to notice his brother, though Xion, the smallest of her litter, gave a playful nip at Delwyn's ear. Xeris smiled again. Even if it was raining outside, it was a beautiful day inside the cabin.
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ooc:
The onset of winter could be felt by all. During the rains, though soft and trickling from the sky, each droplet carried with it the frigid touch of the winter to come. Each drop was chilling, but at the same time soothing to the traveler, still very much taking this unique land in her stride to construct a mental map and learn her bearings.
But it was difficult to do so with the rain snuffling the aroma of green and the scent of the Valley. More often than not her nose was pressed to the ground, struggling to grasp even the tiniest scent of the unmarked path. There were traces of other wolves, faint but still there as her muzzle drifted over the muddied ground. She followed without question, hoping to meet those she had not as well as seeking shelter from the troublesome rain. The patter was loud to her ears, deafening she would say as they strength of the rain increased and bore down with a vengeance. The wind swept hard, kicking against her backside and urging her from under its storm.
She obliged without question, forgoing her venture and with a lift of her muzzle and hurried on through the heavy sheets. A human structure lie in the distance and from it, the scent of the Valley and lupine essence emitted thickly. Zyenx hurried for it, easing her steps only when reaching the woodened exterior and felt the warmth slowly wafting from beneath the door. Someone was home. She had come to learn that wolves tended to live in these human structures, mainly those who walked on two legs. Perhaps at another time she could have been too proud to ask for shelter, but now was not the time to let pride overtake reason. Besides, her outlook would have to change with time, less she wanted to be outcast from the clan.
Hesitantly, she raised a paw and scratched against the corner of the door, dipping her dripping muzzle to butt against it in the hopes it would budge. “Excuse me,” she shouted above the howling winds. “Might I come in? I promise I am not a stranger to the Valley.”
Word Count: 364
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The rain continued to beat with a fervor against the walls of the cabin. The wind was howling too, so loudly that she could have sworn she heard someone trying to get into the house. Or wait...maybe that was someone trying to get into the house? She paused for a moment, her ears held high to listen for the noise again. And then she heard a voice outside, asking politely to be let in from the rain. Immediately feeling sympathy for the unknown wolf outside, Xeris stood up. Holding the bundle of blankets and pups in one arm, she stood up, walked to the door, and opened it cautiously, only to find a reddish-furred wolfess standing in the rain outside.
"Oh, poor thing, come inside," she said, opening the door wider to allow the stranger to pass through it. "There's some more blankets in here somewhere, let me find them." Still carrying her children in one arm, the white she-wolf leaned over a wooden box in the corner of the small cabin room, pulling from it a few woolen blankets and quilts. "Here," she said, offering them to the unknown wolfess who had appeared at her door. "You can dry off with these, and stay here to warm up for a while." A friendly smile crossed Xeris' face. Though she hadn't seen the red-colored visitor before, she bore the scent of Phoenix Valley buried beneath the odor of rain. "My name is Xeris, by the way," she added as she remembered her manners. She gestured to a chair nearby, and then she herself sat down on the bed, cradling the warm, moving bundle in her arms again.
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ooc:
Alabaster was the first image beyond the door seen by the russet drenched female. The warm breath of the room enveloped her and beaconed her inside without a second thought. With dripping paws Zynex inched inside the room, doing her very best not to muddy the floors. Her attention was solely on the ground from the moment she entered the humble abode. She spoke with a sneeze, snapping her nose to the ground in reaction then bashfully looked up at her savior, cradling a squirming bundle in her arms.
From her stance on four legs she could hardly see what the female coveted but for the sake of being polite, she subdued her curiosity and instead went where instructed. The blankets placed in front of her, Zyn dove in an instant , wriggling under a quilt and quickly shook herself off, lessening the spray rain and debris with the bulk. “Thank you.” She woofed from beneath her cover and grabbed a quilt by its corner, dragging it with her to the directed chair. This may have not been her home, but she understood hospitality when presented and she was no fool to deprive herself of it…with a certain grace of course.
She lept into the chair, took the blanket and tossed it over her back like a drapery, thick and warm. She looked about the cabin with wide celestial eyes, somewhat in wonder of the interior. So this was what a human den looked like on the inside. It was spacious from what she had expected, and very homely, well suited to the familiar aura radiating from the snowy female. She took her place on the bed, still cradling something squirming. Yet, before she inquired, she recalled the female’s offer of her name. “It’s…a pleasure Xeris. I am Zynex. Thank you again for your kindness.” She smiled faintly then went on to crane her neck to see what was covered. A little white ball was the first to be seen. Zynex reared back so suddenly she nearly toppled out of the chair. “You…you have children!” It was more and exclamation of shock than a question.
Word Count: 355
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Xeris watched, amused, as the rusty-colored female dove amongst the blankets and into the chair. Her new acquaintance's act of burying herself beneath the quilts reminded the white wolfess of something her children might do. She didn't know how long the poor wolfess had been out in the rain by herself, but she did feel rather sympathetic. Unfortunately she couldn't do much but offer her shelter for now; if her mate had been home perhaps he could have brought food or the like. "Zynex," she tested the name. "It's nice to meet you. I take it you haven't been around here for long, I don't recall seeing you before."
It seemed that Zynex's curiosity was getting the better of her as she peered over to get a better look at the bundle in Xeris' arms. The white wolfess smiled at her new friend's interest. "As of a few days ago, yes," she replied, her smile widening. Gently she laid the blankets on the bed beside her and unwrapped the three tiny forms that had been nestled inside. They seemed so small and different from the adult wolves they would become; their eyes still closed and their ears unable to hear yet. The two boys were noticeably larger than their sister, but for the moment Xeris wasn't too worried. Little Xion had probably just inherited her mother's lean body structure. The white mother wolfess directed her golden eyes back to Zynex, waiting to see her reaction.
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ooc:
The mother’s kindness was a little overwhelming for the she-wolf, for her own mother wasn’t nearly this caring, to a stranger no less. But it did not fall from the female’s mind to acknowledge that Zynex was indeed a stranger. She peaked from the unwrapped bundles presented by the new mother, and smile affectionately to the wriggling things. “Indeed. I have not been here for very long…But long enough to see how beautiful the Valley is in its best…and worst times.” Her smile broadened as she looked toward the trembling door, still being battered by the wind and rain.
Her attention came to the children again, so small and squirming the she-wolf couldn’t help but giggle. They were wandering about blindly, still getting used to the unique smells and textures of the world around them. Just little entities trying to make a place in the world. Zynex slid off the chair and padded over to the bed, raising her forelegs over the edge. A little white speck had dipped with her extra weight, rolling near her large paw. The little one could fit on her paw if she let it! And they were only a few days old?
The she-wolf’s gaze bounced between the charges and their mother. “They look very….cuddle.” Did she even know what the word meant? It just seemed…appropriate given the fuzzy forms of the cubs. Zynex looked shocked with herself, but not enough to hinder her curiosity. “But if you don’t mind my asking, Xeris,” her silvery gaze lingered on the alabaster mother. “You look…young…and kind at heart. Are you the Alpha’s mate?” For what other reason would Xeris be allowed to have children? Was it not a matter of code for the Alpha to grant permission for those who wished offspring? And…didn’t the Alpha sire first?
Word Count: 301
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Xeris listened to Zynex's words, trying to use them to judge how long she had been in the area. She claimed to have seen the best and worst times of the area...Xeris' face changed to an expression between graveness and sympathy. "Oh, things have been much worse around here than this." She was partially referring to the weather, and partially referring to the other conflicts. She couldn't help but glance momentarily at the scar along her side in thinking about this, but now was not the time for discussing that.
She smiled as little Carwyn moved against Zynex's paw. Her new acquaintance seemed to be fond of the puppies; then again, it would be hard to not find them, in her words, "cuddly." The reddish female then broached a question that confused Xeris somewhat. The Alpha's mate? Perhaps Zynex was referring to a law of her birth pack; Xeris had heard of such laws before but had never been in a place that followed them. "Oh, no, I'm not," she replied. "Here, there aren't really any strict rules about mating and pups." Clearly, Xeris realized, this female had come from a completely different type of pack. Xeris knew the feeling of such a change. "And my mate is the Nuncio. He's an ambassador of sorts. His name is Pendzez." She wondered idly if Zynex and Pendzez had crossed paths at some point in her time here, but figured that she ought to talk about him anyway.
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The little things were just too adorable to ignore. Their soft squeaks sent jolts in the female’s heart, stretching the smile further with each little squirm and waddle. Was she like this as a pup, she wondered, inching closer to the white fuzz ball. She placed her nose next to her paw beside the cubs body, smiling as it nudged her blindly. Her tail went into a frenzy of delight, only until the tiny maw latched onto her nose and held fast. The large female was reduced to a whining mess, quite helpless in the jaws of the terrible creature. “Oh dear…”
Still helpless, she glanced to Xeris, ears perked as she explained how she had come to have the cubs. Zynex was shocked to say the least. There was no regulation? Couples were free to breed? This was both unheard of and none the less pleasing to hear. This pack truly was a new place to begin without the hindering constraints of her prior clan life. Was there really no rules, no strict obligations? Goodness this was exciting, but none more so than hearing of Xeris’s mate. The Ambassador Pendzez. “I know him!” Zynex barked happily but quickly lessened her octave in remembering the tiny, delicate ears of the cubs. Her nose was still captive. She hunched down bashfully. “Forgive me. I suppose I don’t act my age. But this is truly fortuitous! I have met your mate! A teacher, her proclaims himself, and a nice acquaintance. It is an honor to meet his chosen.”
Word Count: 257
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ooc: oh geez this is incredibly late and short, forgive me D:
Xeris couldn't help but giggle softly to herself as Carwyn wrapped his jaws around Zynex's nose playfully. He was going to grow up to be a wild one, she thought. The rust-colored wolfess mentioned that she'd met Pendzez before. She spoke well of him; apparently he had said something about being a teacher. She recalled his mentoring of Rendall, and supposed that he would make quite the good educator.
"I see," she said. "Yes, he has done some teaching recently. He knows a lot of things, much more than I will ever know." Carefully reaching down, the white wolfess gently pulled her son's mouth away from Zynex's nose and placed him back with his siblings. It struck her then that Zynex had stayed in a four-legged form the entire time; had she changed to optime then she could have removed the puppy herself. Perhaps she wasn't a Luperci at all? Not that it mattered; Xeris had met and befriended her share of non-Luperci in her time--and of course, started her life as one. But this piqued her curiosity, mostly because perhaps the had something in common: both being born as regular wolves. She couldn't hold back her inquisitive nature. "So, where are you from?"
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The female felt a tinge of sadness as the cub was taken from her nose, but knew it was in its best interest before she did something to harm it unintentionally. She had not been around the tiny variety enough to know how to behave, let alone how to care for them. All she knew was that they were fragile, senseless, and cuddly. She would have her own if only for those simple aspects…but her readiness to be a mother was lacking, as was skill or the essential part of motherhood; a mate. Yes, she could do without children for the time being. But none the less, she let herself enjoy the company of Xeris’s wriggling things. A sigh of content whistled from her nostrils as she watched them with care, tail swaying at leisure, calmed and relaxed. An ear twitched under the mother’s voice and soon her gaze returned to her as well.
“He seems to be knowledgeable,” Zynex agreed in speaking of her hostess’s mate. “I had hoped to take something from him, but…I feel I would be a hindrance…or rather, I wouldn’t learn more than what I could on my own.” The she-wolf learned her head on its side, glancing with a single eye up at the ceiling in thought. “But,” her brows perked after a moment’s pause, her manner of speaking altered as if she were addressing something new to herself. “I would like to learn from his diplomacy… Perhaps if he shared this knowledge…” her voice descended, lost in thoughts of the past. “…I would know how to reach my sister. Forgive me!” All too quickly the she-wolf realized her babble had taken sound. Raising her head with eyes aglow with apology she offered hastily, “I’m sorry about that. I hadn’t realized I was thinking aloud. But yes…where am I from? I hail from the Tundra far beyond this land yet as my family drifted further from the ice, I followed. They reside on the borders of the new land.”
The she-wolf kept her words clear on concise, less she wanted to start another series of rambling thoughts. “What about you? Were you born in the Valley?”
Word Count: 362
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