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aw, though preferably only one so that this can be completed  set in the village 300+
Nayati had not spent much time in the hut that he had chosen as his dwelling aside from sleeping there at night. There had been other and more important matters to attend to. Now though, as it seemed that winter's grip on the lands was beginning to wane, the time seemed right to make his personal den more of a home instead of simply a place. The inside was dusty and there were no trinkets or decorations coloring the space. He had a few things that he had brought from the main tribe but he hadn't bothered to unwrap them and place them about yet. He opened the door to his home wide to let the fresh air in and to drive the mustiness out. Though the air would not do all of his job for him. Setting off from the village he came to a copse of trees. Searching around he found a long fallen stick from one of them and continued to look for a fallen pine bough. Unfortunately he did not find any small enough for his purposes. Taking out his hunting knife he cut one from the nearest tree, thanking the pine for its gift.
As he returned back to the village and walked into his home he sat upon the ground with the stick and pine branch with needles. Grabbing some twine he attached the pine to the bottom of the stick and stood up, looking over his makeshift broom. It wouldn't be a long lasting tool, quickly found and constructed, but it would serve him for this day. Grinning to himself Nayati began to sweet the dust and loose dirt from the floor of his hut and out into the open. Usually such a thing was a task his mother often did in the advent of spring, but he had helped her on occasion and so was not completely ignorant of what to do. His mind drifted back to the main tribe, wondering if they were also making preparations for the season of rebirth.
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I HAVE COME TO SAVE YOU
Word Count: 472
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
Dawali had the tendency to take long walks around and around the borders of his packlands. It had offered him some safety in the long moons of winter-time, some amount of reassurance. He never quite liked the cold half year, and no wonder; his pelt was not made for it in the slightest. But, when the proud and lush white-pelted wolves sat sweating and panting in the summer sunlight, he could leap around as he wished. His pelt was made for summer, though it was fall that decorated it. Now that spring had come, however, he was tired of taking the same old route; in fact, he was tired of taking a route at all, and so today he wandered the Village aimlessly, quite enjoying such a pointless activity. Half a smile was maintained on his face as random thoughts flew through his mind.
His nostrils found and brought to his brain the scents of his recently arrived friend (though, how recent it was was debatable), and as his smile changed to a full one, the Chief changed directions and moved along the white-pelted male's scent-trail. The Village was not large, though some huts were outside it as well, and eventually Dawali found the right one; and his friend too. He restrained a giggle and walked up to the other in a rather brisk manner, grinning pointedly at the broom. Not that Dawali usually had any bad thoughts about such chores (he was a widowed man; he knew all about it), but that didn't mean that he'd give up the chance to tease an old friend. "Need any help?" The line was delivered with a face that was halfway mocking, halfway grinning, and decorated by the smallest of winks, but it was there.
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My hero!  and oh noes! Nayati's manly honor is tarnished! D: (also, sorry for superfast reply >.> 300+
While he had been a bachelor ever since he had reached adulthood, this was the first time that he was really on his own as far as living situations went. In the original tribe, he had always lived close if not with his parents and younger siblings. As the eldest son, it had been his obligation to help provide for the family and to make sure everything was taken care of. When he had chosen to pursue the path of a hunter, he had become the main provider of food for the Utinas, making sure that all his kin had plenty to eat and still have some to contribute to the rest of the tribe as well. To not actually be living with family felt odd to him and a sudden wave of loneliness crashed over him. Of course Asha and Dawali were only a short walk away, but it wasn't quite the same. He had liked having many bodies under one roof, and now that that luxury was gone he missed more than he would have thought.
Nayati's thoughts weren't able to stay on his living situation for long though, as he heard the voice of the chief behind him and he instantly tensed. Dawali wasn't supposed to see him doing this! What must it look like, for his strong Tsisdu Kanati to be doing what was often considered woman's work? Slowly turning to face his old friend his pale blue eyes darted from Dawali's face to the ground and back again, hands fidgeting on his broom. "I...uh..." What was he supposed to say? He usually didn't feel so self conscious in front of the Amara man, but being caught unexpectedly doing cleaning chores was not the usual circumstance which they met under. Besides, Dawali was the Kalona now! It was all the more pressure for Nayati to prove himself as a worthy man of the tribe.
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<3 Short post is short. Nayati is cute
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come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
He grinned, showing all teeth in the wide crack across his face. Nayati reacted better than he had hoped for, and he could not help himself but chuckle, knowing very well how that would not help at all. Oh, pride; it was a glorious thing as long as it did not hurt anyone. Dawali was the chief and could get away with all he wanted, but this was not the position he took here; now, he was no chief, but simply Dawali, and as Nayati's friend he could still probably get away with anything. The other male's reaction was quite entertaining, awkwardness wrapping itself firmly around his friend. Suddenly feeling impulsive, Dawali strode over in a flash and took the broom from him. "I'll take that as a yes!" With automatic and experienced movements he swept it once, twice, thrice across the ground at his feet. It was quite obvious that Dawali had done this many times himself, though his face was no less teasing. Stopping his actions, he put the broom in front of him and rested his hands on the top of the shaft all in one movement. Still grinning, Dawali simply looked at the other, waiting for some reaction that would surely entertain him.
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Short posts are okay by me! He's a dork X3
Nayati swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat, feeling more than a bit foolish. Dawali's laughter was expected, but still he could feel his face burn crimson beneath his winter white fur. The Utina had always striven to prove himself to his tribe, especially his family, elders, and leaders. Considering that he viewed the older Amara male to be all three of these things, it only compounded his embarrassment of the situation. He wanted to be strong for the tribe and strong for his Kalona and sweeping was definitely not something he viewed as exuding strength and masculinity. Not that being masculine was everything, but he would be lying if he said it wasn't at least some part of his personal identity.
His friend's next move caught him equally off guard, the broom being snatched easily from his hands. Jaw hung open as he watched, dumbfounded, as Dawali took three deliberate sweeps of the ground to clear out the excess dirt and dust. Then he stopped, still grinning like a cat at the younger AniWayan. It was then that some of Nayati's embarrassment began to recede. The man before him was a widower, had been for some time. Of course he was accustomed to performing such tasks. He was only poking fun (and succeeding brilliantly) at his prideful young friend. A sheepish grin made its way onto Nayati's muzzle, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "You got me," he conceded.
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Haha! Now I look like a dork, smiling at the computer screen at work |: Short opst, sorreh<3
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come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
At first he looked shocked, but as Dawali stood there grinning, in his little pose of victory, his friend remembered that that was what he was: his friend. Status and rank did not matter now, and the Kalona laughed heartily as Nayati admitted defeat. Oh, the faces he had missed. This moment, th ehunter represented everything he missed about the Great Tribe, about his family and other friends. About the rest of the Utina's, who he had also known before he left. The tribe had been large, so large that one could not know everyone, but Dawali had known enough. He had known many, and he missed them all. Still, now he merely remembered, and for a flash of a moment he felt nostalgic, before his thoughts resurfaced to the real world. Still, he was grinning broadly, and slowly he handed the broom back to his friend. "Yeah, you're easy," he stated with a chuckle. "So what's the status, anyway? Getting settled in yet?" It hadn't been that long since he first arrived. There were a small number of members in the tribe that Dawali would check up on frequently; Nayati and his daughter were some of them. Perhaps it was their ties to a common past that made them more interesting, or perhaps it was because it was more soothing than chore. Time spent with his closest ones did not feel like an obligation, but a resource.
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lol! and no need to be sorreh <3
How hard it must have been for Dawali to be here with so little to tie him back to the great tribe. Especially when he had neither Asha nor Aiyanna to keep him company. For then he was on his own, no others who had lived their whole lives as AniWayans to reminiscence and remember with. That, if for no other reason, would keep the man here. If it had been his own father, he would have wanted someone here with him so that he would not be so alone. Of course there was the wolves here who had joined, but it wasn't the same, it couldn't be. Asha was here again too, but he had not seen here recently and worried that her fiery spirit might fly off for adventure again. That thought made the Utina's heart ache, but he pushed it away as he re-accepted the broom from his friend. "I'm sure Onawa would agree with you," he said with laughter in his voice.
"I think so, yes." His pale blue gaze looked around for a moment before returning to the Amara male. "I still need to explore the lands outside of ours more, but I'm comfortable within tribe boundaries now." His daily trips and walks had given him a good knowledge of the land they claimed. Returning to earlier thoughts of his family a hint of sadness rang in his face. "Has it been hard, living out here away from so many of your friends and family?" Nayati knew the answer was probably yes, but what he really wanted to hear was what had made it worth it for Dawali
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Word Count: 338
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
Dawali found himself chuckling along with his friend at his joke; the great cat certainly wasn't a creature that Dawali would apply any kind of humor to, but then again most would not when their spirit animals donned such powerful forms as Onawa. He was fairly certain that humorous thoughts or jokes were not the first things that struck the few that had ever seen Gvihita. The Kalona nodded as Nayati answered his question, satisfied as his leader, and more importantly happy that his friend seemed to be comfortable here. From the Great Tribe, it was certainly a big change; Dawali knew first-hand. Apparently this change had left Dawali a stranger again to the freedom of a friend's tongue (which was not a bad thing to be reminded of), because the question that Nayati asked was unexpected. His daughters did not ask him these things, and it had been too long since Dawali considered his own personal life, always too busy with the tribe to sit down and think. He hesitated for a moment, looking as if he gave the topic some thought before shrugging as he replied. "Well it's been very different, I suppose." He paused for a second. "I mean at first we waited for you lot, and when it was apparent you wouldn't appear and I was made sub-leader... I suppose there was no choice." Whether it had been "hard" or not was something he'd never considered. "Ayegali trusted me to run this tribe, and honestly I've never stopped to think about any alternatives. It's very much an honor, even if it is also very different." Nayati would know; he'd seen where Dawali had ranked in the original hierarchy. Not at the bottom, no, but far from the top. That their Kalona chose him to be their leader after her was something he never could have imagined would happen. "But, of course, it is a blessing to now see the familiar faces of my family." Clearly, the indication was that Nayati fell within this category.
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300+
The younger man watched as his friend and Kalona thought over the question that had been posed. He was not impatient, and of course wanted the best answer that Dawali could give. It wasn't that he was regretting his decision to come here, not in the least, but he did want to know how the Amara had fared here so far from everything and everyone he was familiar with. Nayati couldn't help but feel a little isolated out here in these new lands with only two people he had known previously beside him. Two was better than none, for sure, but two was a great decrease from what he had always known. It was impossible to feel alone in the Great Tribe and so what he was feeling now was wholly foreign and strange to him. As he had many times before, he looked to Dawali to help give him advice.
The answers that were given made complete sense to him. He could imagine what it must have felt like for Dawali to be offered such a position of honor and great responsibility. As proud as Nayati was of his people, he didn't know if he would have the strength to lead them, even a small fraction of them. Hunts were one thing, having to lead and look after the people constantly quite another. He would not be equipped for such a duty, but he knew that Dawali was. Of course, after he had been risen to that level he would have had to focus on here and now and not think of the alternatives. The Utina smiled at the kind words given last, the inclusion of him into Dawali's family. It joyed him to know that the Kalona considered him such. "Yes, I can see from your position what it must have been like. You had to focus here. I am happy to be here, it is just such a change. I miss my mother and father, and my little brothers and sister." He had never thought he would miss the pestering of his younger siblings, but he would have gladly welcomed it now.
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come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
Dawali nodded thoughtfully. Nayati's feelings were very much like his own had been at first, but he had also been lucky enough to have Asha come along with him. He was recently widowed then, too, but not having a mate to miss had almost been a blessing. He knew that he would never see her again, and that was better than knowing that he would, and longing for that moment. No, what he had missed the most here, was Aiyanna, and his mother and father. His siblings were always very busy, and he was used to not seeing them too often, and some lived in neighboring tribes, too. But he had met up with his parents almost daily, and the lack of their presence here still gnawed at him sometimes. Gvihita was an excellent spirit guide, but not quite as... supportive as the two old wolves. And even worse, he knew how old they were. He worried he would never see them alive again, and that was what gnawed at him the most. "I know what you mean. It is strange to be here where there are no one, compared to the crowdedness of the old AniWaya Village." Dawali paused and glanced around himself, almost envisioning all the houses that needed to be added before this village would be worthy of comparison. "It helped me a lot, though, never to give up any of our traditions, even the ones I have never practiced before." He was different, here, and it could not be helped, but since everyone saw him as such anyways, he would help them along and show them all the things that made him him, and his tribe what it was. It was all he could do to cling to his identity.
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300+
He knew that Dawali must miss his relatives, but at the same time he had so much to focus on here that it undoubtedly helped to distract him and ease the pain of those absences. Perhaps that was what Nayati needed to do, to focus on his duty to the tribe and immerse himself in that to keep his mind from wondering to sad places. He worried for his family. He was the eldest son, and he had helped provide for their family for so long he worried how they were getting along without him. It was a somewhat foolish concern though. They had the whole of the Great Tribe to help make sure they were doing alright. The Utina man just needed to remember that. His family wasn't out in the wilderness by themselves, they were surrounded by the tribe, and that made all the difference.
"It is very odd. It almost seems like a ghost village. Though, the trip here helped to accustom me to fewer bodies around. I don't believe we really saw anyone after we left the Great Tribe until we found our way here. I was glad to have Onawa and Iye, I might have gone mad with loneliness if not for them." They weren't lupine company, no, but they were as family to him and they had made the long expedition possible and bearable. "That will help, yes. I couldn't imagine giving that up. It would be like cutting out a part of my soul, I think. It heartens me to know that that part of life isn't different here." The traditions were important. They were as much a part of life as their air they breathed and the food they ate. It sustained, perhaps not their bodies, but definitely their souls and their spirits. Abandoning them wasn't an option.
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