Running On Automatic
#1
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Alexey had been gone for days now, and Umbra was just as hard to track down. Left to her own devices, Adelaida had gotten herself into a few rather sticky situations, most notably her showdown with one of the newer pack’s leader. The two year old had shoved the memories to the back of her mind, not quite sure what to do with them. Why had she acted so horribly? Sure, the female was a coyote, but that didn’t mean she had to go looking for trouble. And yet, when she had stood before the coyote female, Ade hadn’t really been able to control her own mouth. Every horrible thing she had ever though about the coyotes wanted to surface all at once, and now she had made yet another enemy. Aside from the big clash between her and the strange female, she had a near run in with a bear, and although she had turned tail at the sight of the grizzly, that encounter left her heart pumping more than the nasty words exchanged with the coyote.




And now she was wandering, unsure of what to really do with herself. The day had been broken up by rainstorms, and yet since morning Adelaida hadn’t quite moving. Consequently her legs, which were normally covered by her rich chocolate fur up past her knees in a mockery of boots, were covered in a grimy layer of mud. The cream colored fur along the rest of her body was spotted her and there with dirt that had splashed back up from puddles she rushed though, and it was wet and matted close to her body. Her eyes, however, would be as bright and brilliant as ever if not for the slightly confused and dazed look she wore. By mid afternoon she had wandered quite a ways away from where she normally stayed, the coastlines to the south, primarily the shattered coast. Adelaida hadn’t been sure where she was headed, although when she finally stopped for a break she did recognize the area. It was near the two human towns that still stood, she had played in them a few times as a child. But now there was a pack here, wasn’t there? Adelaida was sure that the lands were claimed, and yet, similarly to how she could not keep her mouth closed in deference to the coyote, she could not keep her feet from moving forward, towards the buildings that loomed ahead.





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#2
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Oh noes! D: It's Adelaida!




With a new pack came a whole new territory to explore. Granted, she vaguely knew what Dahlia pack lands looked like from coming here as a child, but she still felt the need to explore the area thoroughly. Alexey needed to know the lands like the back of her paw for two reasons; to protect the pack from those stinky coyotes, and to meet fellow pack mates. Pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together, and she was starting to fit in with the other wolves. Life was wonderful, and even today's lousy weather couldn't destroy her newfound happiness. She was on a mission to explore as much territory as she could. Her target? Berwick. The olden town was littered with houses here and there, enough to keep Alexey occupied during most of the day. Pickles wasn't around, and he hadn't been since she had last seen her sister. His disappearance did not worry her, though. The Koios femme assumed her companion had stayed behind with Adelaida, like he did every once in a while.



Lexey poked her head through a rather elegant chestnut armoire, tail swaying back and forth as she examined it's contents. Ever since her encounter with Desaevio, the little wolfess had wanted some beads of her own. Those were human artifacts, no? Surely pillaging every house in the area would lead to beads. Once the Filix established that there was nothing of interest in the wardrobe, she took a few steps back and went to the window. It was still drizzling outside, not much had changed weather-wise. But as Alexey pressed the tip of her nose to the window, she caught sight of a silhouette a few meters away from where she stood. A pack mate, perhaps? Maybe it was Kol or Desaevio! The tawny female didn't think twice about setting out to meet this wandering wolf. Soon enough, the shadow in the distance got clearer and clearer until her identity could not be mistaken anymore. Adelaida?! Her sister's name caught in her throat, and the only thing Lexey could manage to say was "Uh oh..."
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#3
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Is Pickles gonna be lost or should Ade know where he is? XD Oh yeah, Ade has a wound on her shoulder from her run in with Nikita XD It got physical.

"Alexey...?" Her sister had appeared so fast, Adelaida wasn’t quite sure how to make sense of it. For a split moment the idea crossed her mind that Alexey had followed her here, it certainly would have been a more favorable alternative to the truth, at least in Adelaida’s eyes. Yet, Alexey had come from inside the lands. And “uh-oh” would never have crossed her lips if she had not been caught somewhere she was not expected to be. And as Adelaida drew closer, so that they were face to face, she found that Alexey smelt like these lands. There was no way to spin this, it explained perfectly Alexey’s absence in the past days, and yet Adelaida didn’t want to accept the truth, so for a good long moment she just stood facing her sister, azure eyes staring into the warm honey colored ones.




Adelaida could go on standing there all day, for if she never spoke, she wouldn’t have to hear Alexey’s explanation, something she was sure would upset her. Adelaida didn’t want to be upset anymore. The should wound, given by that rotten female coyote, was healing nicely, it hadn’t been too deep to begin with, but timid Adelaida was still shaken by the incident she had caused. Feeling rather lost and lonely without Alexey or any kind face the last few days had left her feeling even worse. And now, to learn where Alexey had been spending her time, when Adelaida had assumed that her sister had been avoiding the pack lands as she herself did... well, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Facing her, she couldn’t be angry, or upset, not just yet, not until Alexey confirmed what was causing Adelaida’s heart rate to raise as her anxiety did. Her voice came out flat, almost a defeated tone, but a little accusatory. "What are you doing here?"





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#4
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No effort was made to avoid what was coming. Alexey was in big trouble, and she knew it. Tawny ears flattened against her skull as golden-speckled eyes traveled to the ground. Suddenly, she felt ashamed. And that shame prevented her from looking Adelaida straight in the eyes. Why wasn't she saying anything? Why wasn't she reacting more than that? Lexey quickly realized that she would have preferred getting yelled at, because this silent treatment was excruciating. "Ade... I-" She stopped mid-sentence, knowing there was nothing she could say to make things better. Originally, the caramel colored she-wolf had wanted to say 'I love you'. What good would that have done though? Her sibling probably didn't want to hear it. With her tail tucked in between her legs, she cautiously took a step forward in an attempt to nuzzle Adelaida, but what she saw next was enough to stop her from doing so. There was a wound on her sister's shoulder, and from the looks of it, it was recent. Within a split second, Alexey had gone from being apologetic to flat out upset.


"Never mind what I'm doing here. What's this on your shoulder, Ade?" Her tone was demanding, concerned, and furious at the same time. Perhaps it wasn't the best way to react, but the two-year-old did not know any better. She had never seen her littermate wounded before, and it was scaring the crap out of her. Someone had laid their filthy hands on the only family she had left. The two sisters couldn't run to their sire for help now: Fyodor was gone. They were left alone to fend for themselves. Alexey was frantic by then; her heart pounding hard and her head reeling from mixed emotions. She could only blame herself for not being there to help Adelaida. "What happened to you?"
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#5
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I got into a fight. A female coyote. Adelaida stated the answer to her sister matter-of-factly. She didn’t feel compelled to explain why she had gotten in the fight. That would probably come soon enough, she knew that Alexey wouldn’t let this drop. She felt like a child would had come home drunk to her parents for the first time. There was no hiding it, there were no good excuses, and there was no avoiding the questions. Maybe though she could turn the focus somewhere else. There is a new pack of them, just a little south of this pack Alexey still hadn’t explained herself or why she was here in this pack. Coyotes and wolves, I think. At least I smelled the wolves.






Adelaida seated herself, she was much calmer than her sister, which was a rarity. However the panic and despair were right below the surface, Alexey just wouldn’t break the seal. Blazing eyes of blue swept the lands behind her sister again. Lots of buildings, homes and other buildings she had no idea what the use of them could ever be for. Did the wolves in these packs live in these buildings? Did they pretend to be humans too, like Iskata did? To pretend to be a species one is not, or to even strive to be like a species one is not, Adelaida found it revolting. Did Alexey really live here? Speaking softer now, more inviting (as if she’d really be understanding when Alexey spoke the truth) Ade tried again.
Why are you here?
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#6
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Fight. Coyote. Those where only two words her brain had registered. Now she had a reason to join the war against Inferni. Initially she had hesitated, but now... things were different. Alexey didn't care whether that bitch of a coyote belonged to the targeted clan or not, her kind would pay for her actions. Perhaps her way of thinking was a little nazi-like, but she didn't care. Lexey wasn't herself anymore. Her mind had embarked on an emotional roller-coaster ride, and her sanity was taking a ride on the wild side. The Dahlian had noticed her sister's matter-of-fact attitude, and she didn't like it. She knew that whenever Adelaida spoke in such a tone, it meant that she generally wasn't innocent.


"Did you go looking for trouble?" Her sibling's answer didn't really matter at that point. Alexey's mind was made up. Two days from now, she would be on the front lines fighting alongside Haku and the rest. A frown settled upon her face as Adelaida suddenly changed her tone of voice: a trick she had often fallen for as a child. The two-year-old knew her sister wasn't any calmer, that soft voice was only a ruse to make Lexey spill the beans. And she did. There was no point in trying to hide it since Ade already knew the answer, she was sure of it. "I'm a member of Dahlia de Mai now." There. Now it was out in the open. Her normally cheerful honey-colored eyes were defiant now, daring Adelaida to call her a freak too. She was standing up for herself once and for all.
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#7
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Did you go looking for trouble? Adelaida laid her ears back upon her head. Her sister knew her too well at times, and she would know if Ade lied to her. And while she hadn’t set out for trouble that day, she hadn’t had any problem provoking the coyote. Just because she hadn’t intended on angering a coyote didn’t mean she hadn’t taken advantage of the situation when it arose and enjoyed it. She even enjoyed getting her wound, but she would never say that out loud, Adelaida could only imaged that Alexey would be more than upset to hear that. On top of Adelaida being cruel to the coyote, she was also self destructive? “I may have provoked her...” Most likely Alexey would accept such a wishy washy answer as that. “I hadn’t planned on it, but when I saw her, I just felt so angry. I couldn’t stop myself.” What did it matter? Adelaida was mad at Alexey too.




Alexey had said it out loud. She was now a member of Dahlia de Mai? Adelaida hadn’t even known the name of the pack, nor did she care to. Alexey had broken the seal however and now Adelaida was becoming visibly upset. “You what?” It was unthinkable. Her sister living amongst the shifters. Half of them monsters and the other half freaks. Adelaida would have been concerned for her sister, except that this had been a conscious choice for her, one Adelaida couldn’t understand. “Why would you join this... place?” They weren’t even a pack, they were a hoard of scummy and sleazy creatures.


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#8
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Aw man D: I feel bad. I don't want them to argue anymore!




Alexey wanted to beat some sense into her sister. Who was this woman standing in front of her? The Dahlian shook her head in disbelief, as if attempting to understand what Adelaida was saying. "You may have provoked her?" She repeated her sibling's answer, making sure to emphasize the word 'may'. A pause was made, and Lexey pursed her lips together. At first she had considered not saying anything else, but the following words eventually came flowing out of her mouth. "Are you crazy? You could have gotten yourself killed!" She was screaming by then, unable to control her anger any longer.


The two-year-old took a few steps back, paws trembling with the sudden rush of emotions coursing through her body. Adelaida's next inquiry did not make the situation any better either. "I have friends too, you know. You expected me to move in with Umbra, who happens to be a complete stranger, but you won't let me stay here with my own friends? Salty tears filled her golden-speckled eyes as she threw one more accusation at her sister, her voice filled with animosity. "You're the monster, Ade. Not them." That being said, Lexey turned her back to the one person she truly loved and slowly started walking away. If her sibling had anything else to say, she would hear it.
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#9
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XD Too bad! Drama is fun. Poor little Koios sisters, if only Sankor existed to make them make up.


Alexey’s words and anger shocked Adelaida, and for a moment she simply stared in disbelief. Never before, at least in their adult lives, had they fought. And even as children, any fights had been innocent squabbles, quickly put to an end by Fyodor and Katanka. Daddy and Mommy had always made sure little Lexey and Ade never stay mad for too long, but they weren’t here, and even Sankor with his voice of reason was absent. Given that, their stubborn natures and conflicting ideas could finally emerge fully, and Adelaida sensed the wedge that was being driven between them. Still she could not help herself, she was hurt by those words Alexey spoke.



“What would you have cared if I did get killed? Apparently your friends are more important than family. More important than me.” Adelaida hadn’t wanted Alexey to choose Umbra over her friends, she had wanted her sister to stay with her. She had wanted Alexey to pick normal wolves, with traditional values, everything they had been raised with, over these new creatures. The freaks. Had Alexey become one of them? Was that even possible? Adelaida didn’t know, but it didn’t matter much. Alexey had pick them over her. Her sister turned to go, and Adelaida was prepared to let her. The honey colored female thought that her own sister was the monster, and that just about killed Adelaida. If Alexey truly thought that, then Adelaida would let her think so. Lexey wouldn’t have to see her if she didn’t want to.


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