awaken just to fade out
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         Once her belly was full, her lips moistened and her muscles at peak, Niir had abandoned her temporary shelter at the dugout base of a tree, and began to look for something more permanent. Something a tad homier and considerably less drafty. The sun was rising when she began her search, and was just beginning to set when she neared its end. She’d spent hours calculating, traveling and generally searching for something suited to her tastes. The Caves were an optimum choice, but she didn’t feel quite comfortable being around so many others—the constant coming and going made her a tad paranoid. The beach was also an ideal choice, but however peaceful it seemed, the constant crashing of the waves seemed to drown out any other sounds after a while, and she wasn’t at ease with this fact.
         Niir scouted to the far north, but found it a bit too distant from the bulk of the pack. Peaceful though—she promised herself to visit the open snowiness of Occasus again soon. The elegant gray ended up in the forest, far fewer flurries and a noticeable warmth about as the tightly wound conifers shielded her thin frame from much of the wind. She knew she could maneuver well in forests like these, and the minimum layer of snow felt good to a pair of paws that had been trekking nearly knee-deep in it for so long. Ideal as it was, she still needed to find someplace suitable to remain. Though it didn’t take long before Niir had found an area big enough and quite near the edge of the forest to start construction, the sun had completely set before she actually finished it.
         It started as a simple, long rock overhang, only half a cave looking out through the sparser trees, into the openness of Inferni. Finding what she could, she began to shack up the sides of the overhang, closing it off on either side of her humble abode. It became a large, spacious place; constructed almost entirely from rocks, bits of slate and sturdy wood. She had meticulously placed each piece and tied off the thickest branches with smaller, flexible ones. The small openings, the spaces between unevenly shaped rocks, were filled with now-drying mud from the nearby creek bed. It was dark inside, currently empty, but it was home; and she promised to make it as such as time drew on.
         Her place was wide, twice as long as it was tall—and it was nearly taller than her; not that this was saying much. She made sure all debris and excess dirt and snow was scooped out before actually exiting. She gave her aching limbs a stretch, glancing up at the moon and smiling slightly. It was late, but she was proud to have done this herself. And just to relax, she gathered some of her leftover wood and created herself a warm fire. She wasn’t particularly comfortable with sleeping in the place while it was so empty, but she was comforted by the warmth of the fire. So she sat beside it for some time, humming old hymns to herself and looking into the flames licking hungrily at the air.


table by alex.
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#2
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Nakir had continued her search for a place of her own after the rude interruption provided by Cotl two days before; it had proven fruitful, though it had taken hours. In fact, the den she had found was much like Niir's - a slab of rock hiding the entrance of a cave beneath a tree's roots - and located about 40 meters away. Although far enough away to be considered private, the two were close enough that they could be considered neighbors. It was a combination of Nakir's light sleeping habits and the movements of the other that roused the dark coyote from her rest.


She peered out from behind the slab of rock, ears shifting to find which direction the faint scraping of rock and wood was coming from. Nakir was located deeper in the midst of the forest, preferring the protection of many trees, but the source of the noises was coming from the edge. Curious - and a bit suspicious - the coyote crept out of her home and took a moment to shift from lupus to optime. Although the process was painful and took several minutes, Nakir had long since learned to manage the the pain and made little noise.


Leaving her jacket and knife behind, the female made her way silently through the trees towards the source of her awakening. Although typically annoyed and acerbic when roused before the sun, Nakir felt relatively rested and her curiosity overpowered any grouchiness. As she approached, the smell of woodsmoke filled wrapped itself around her and she grinned; it was either another clan mate (and she prayed it was not Cotl) or a brazen intruder. The smoke made it difficult to decipher any other scent.


It wasn't long before she saw the smoke unfurl from a cavern-like opening, obviously modified to look more like a shack than a simple den. Hymns carried softly, yet strongly, through the air with a clearly female voice. Nakir considered leaving, but by now the other had likely noted her presence and the coyote was in dire need of companionship in this new world. And so she knocked, gently, on a slab of rock to announce her arrival.

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