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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Feb 28, 2017 7:06:37 GMT -4
The forest was smaller and more sparse here, but the dark-furred wolf living in it preferred to stay here in relative peace than dare the stranger gods by stepping foot in the overbearing vegetation growing higher up. She could feel that place from here, and it wasn't friendly.
She had been awake for nearly a moon, and it had taken two days to get past the dizzying displacement. Human-kept animals slept soundly, and her hunger had pushed her to sink fangs into peaceful throats. She had, partly by premonition and mostly by accident, avoided waking anything that she had not also killed. On the third day, no longer hungry, but considerably concerned for her sleeping pups, she had taken wing and circled over the trees.
She had seen enough to withdraw into the trees, watchful and sharp, and thinking. She placed shadows thick over the hollow she and her young stayed in, and she turned all nearby breaths of winds towards her, that she could be alerted and anything nearby would not.
Luckily, the pups had woken four days after her, and she wasn't sent mad by wondering how to wake them.
Unfortunately, they were her children, and utterly incorrigible.
Seraphina, slightly gangling, and awkward with her wings, had taken to climbing and fluttering up trees. She would not stay in the hollow. The trees were safe. Morgana had done her best to impress with gleaming teeth and glacier-cold eyes that going near the humans or their fields was not for them. Her daughter appeared mostly- mostly- uninterested in testing that.
Talon, on the other hand, was a pain in her furry behind. He looked at her with eyes too old, and a smile too crooked and knowing, and sometimes he said things her old friend would have, and others he was her baffled, mischievous son who already had it figured that certain beetles went to trees for a reason, and their grubs could be found and thrown at unsuspecting siblings.
And Ciunas...
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Post by Ren on Feb 28, 2017 7:47:48 GMT -4
Ciunas was bored out of his mind, constantly. Nothing entertained him for long enough to give his mother any lasting peace of mind. The hollow they were in was bland and bleak and boring and Ciunas could feel his mind slowly slipping into insanity. How long had he lain here on his back now, staring up into the canopy? It had to have been hours!
In reality it was only a matter of minutes.
"Muuuuum, I want to go out!" he whined for the fifth time today, wiggling a little on his back and stretching his paws toward the sky. The sleep hadn't done much to help his mood - it had given him that over-tired headache that made him unhappy with everything. "Why can't we go ouuuuut!?"
He remembered she had explained it earlier, but he didn't care. If he asked again maybe he'd get a more satisfactory answer.
He'd started out as a blissfully quiet pup, but with only his family around, being quiet wasn't really a thing. "I'm boooored!" he huffed, as though if he complained enough their mother might take them someplace.
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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Feb 28, 2017 8:01:07 GMT -4
Ciunas' whine was not the first. Talon, that disconcerting age flickering in and out of his gaze, pointed his nose into the sky. "We can't go anywhere because you're a baby." he said loftily. Seraphina bit his shoulder and he yelped and flinched sideways, stumbled over his upturned brother and sprawled into the grass.
Their sister snorted, then pulled a serious face and posed dramatically with her wings as Morgana looked over a bush at them. "Pups, be patient. You can play in the rest of the forest when the sun sinks." She did not comment on the shoving match Talon was attempting to begin, or the arch way her daughter eyed her brothers, trying to emulate her mother's posture. As long as no one was picked on unduly, playing was living.
She slipped back to where she watched, paced, and listened, protecting the hollow and waiting for the night. They had lingered too long here, in her foolish hope the location had been deliberate and Rendezvous would appear. She would risk many things, but not her pups. She bared her teeth, and the sun setting through the trees gleamed off her fangs while the rest of her stayed shadow-draped.
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Post by Ren on Feb 28, 2017 8:09:04 GMT -4
Ciunas poked his tongue out at his brother, though he knew he wouldn't see it, and could only laugh when Sera's nip had Talon tripping over him and tumbling into the grass. He stood and wasn't going to respond to Talon until he tried to shove Ciunas over, to which Ciunas had to retaliate to defend his honor. He turned to Talon and grabbed his scruff, throwing his weight over the brown pup and sending them both tumbling head over heels.
He jumped away once he'd scrabbled to his paws, and pointed toward their sister with a secretive grin - his usual jibe at Sera copying mother's mannerisms.
"How long until the sun--" His grin was cut short when he looked at his mother, noticing her rough expression. He trotted over and grabbed her tail, giving it a gentle tug.
"You okay, mum?" he asked.
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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Feb 28, 2017 8:24:22 GMT -4
Talon tried to regain his paws but the movement he seemed to know in his head was not found in his muscle memory. The Error: File Not Found textbox flashed and he tumbled buttfirst into a shrub. Sera was being snooty, all snoot-in-the-air, so he was working on pouncing on her (and she was working on exactly where she would dodge to when he did), as Ciunas stepped around the bushes to Morgana.
She stilled rather than started when Ciunas caught her tail, looked back at him with a soft expression that almost managed to filter out the worry. One paw swooped over him, tugged him towards her so she could nuzzle the top of his head. "Just making plans, little one. We may be having adventures again soon, but only if you three promise to listen to me."
She had raised her voice a little, two small faces peeking through the leaves grinned. Sera and Talon scuffled through and somehow it became a group snuggle pile, and Mother was nibbling ears and licking noses. "You are fine, brave pups, all three of you. You are so brave, and I am so proud, but when we leave, you must listen. Even if it doesn't make sense."
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Post by Ren on Feb 28, 2017 18:54:35 GMT -4
His tail wagged, butt wiggling as well, as his mother pulled him over and promised adventures. In another minute his brother and sis were in a pile with him and they were being showered with affection, and mother said they must listen.
Must listen.
He looked up at her with a small salute.
"You can count on us, ma!"
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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Mar 1, 2017 4:32:11 GMT -4
Morgana looked down at her tiny son and smiled. The tension seemed to ease properly for a moment, the sharp lines of her gone gentle. "I know I can." she murmured, as Sera and Talon nodded firmly, content to let Ciunas speak for them in this regard.
There was a shiver through the trees and Morgana went very, very still. Darkness gathered around her small family, closing them in safe shadows.
Someone moved in the trees, stepped in a shaft of sunlight and lit up, their coat burning white. It was not her mate.
But, it was someone potentially, if he were in the mood to be helpful, able to allow her to find her mate. Nothing like a god for a bodyguard.
"Solaris!" she called, remaining still as the white wolf with his quicksilver eyes looked towards the sound and tilted his head.
"Solaris?" he asked, then smiled, somehow as innocent and pure as any of her pups while sleeping. "Is that me?"
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Post by Ren on Mar 1, 2017 4:53:36 GMT -4
Ciunas tensed when his mother did, watching her carefully. It darkened, and then through the trees he saw the light. He scrambled out of the tangle of puppies and ran to his mothers side, jumping up to get a look past the shrubs. Not able to see over what was in his way, he crawled carefully forward under the shrubs to see the white thing through them.
A white wolf? It was glowing and huge and the complete opposite of his mother. Ciunas tensed with nervous confusion.
His mother called out to the wolf, Solaris, but Solaris didn't seem to recognize the name.
"Why doesn't he know his name, ma?" He asked, running back between her front legs. "Who is it?"
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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Mar 2, 2017 1:34:28 GMT -4
"I...believe so?" Morgana said, then looked down at Ciunas. "I would guess that sleeping has puzzled him a little." she told him, then returned her attention to the white wolf who had drawn closer, though keeping a respectful distance from mother and pups.
"He could be a ghost." whispered Seraphina, "Look, he's so bright it looks wrong." "That's not what ghosts look like," Talon hissed back. "Like you'd know." "I do know."
"Children."
They shut up.
Solaris smiled at them, then lifted his eyes to their mother. "I felt I have been called something else?"
Morgana shifted. "I have heard you call yourself both Nicholas and Solaris, but I believe Solaris is as close to proper a name as you have."
He looked a little bemused, and she felt a little dismayed. "Do you remember....much?" she asked.
"I suspect not," he said, smiling, "for I have accidentally blown a hole in a canyon some days from here. It used to be a cave. It made me uncomfortable. I wanted light, and light there suddenly was."
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Post by Ren on Mar 2, 2017 1:53:25 GMT -4
Ciunas sat between his mothers forelegs, watching Solaris carefully. He had a lot of questions - why did Solaris speak so funny? How did be blow up a cave? Why did he go by two names?
But he wasn't game to speak up, feeling shy in front of the stranger.
He backed up to his siblings, looking to them for their reactions.
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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Mar 2, 2017 2:15:07 GMT -4
Talon looked intensely interested, but also like he wanted to hide behind Morgana's legs forever. Seraphina looked like she might explode from questions if she wasn't trying hard to be cool.
Morgana snorted. "Have the skies cleared wherever you are as well?"
The white wolf crinkled silver eyes, "How did you know?"
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Post by Ren on Mar 2, 2017 2:24:45 GMT -4
Ciunas looked between his siblings, realizing they weren't going to ask the questions that really needed asking. So he squared up, stepped between his mothers forelegs again, and glared up at Solaris.
"WHY do you have two names? Why would you hate caves? How did you blow a hole in a cave? Are all caves wolf-made? Why do you talk funny? How do you know mama? Why are you here???"
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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Mar 2, 2017 3:21:15 GMT -4
Solaris looked down at the little one, all shadows like his mother, with eyes that could cut ice at forty paces. "I do not have the answers you seek, little one. But, to tell you what I know: my name is as much a mystery to me as you, caves are wrong, I wished it didn't exist and it stopped existing, I imagine caves are made by many things, in what way do I 'talk funny' because I am aware of no jesting, at this point it seems more that your mother knows me, and I am here because it is where I am. I may be other places, but that is difficult to work through."
Morgana's face had been more and more like she wanted to slap a paw to her face but she managed to refrain. Narrowly. "I think Sol- ah, Nick, needs some more time to remember things, little love." She looked around to realise night had settled quietly about them. "Why don't you three go run off some energy?"
Seraphina started to protest, but Talon, bumped her with his hip and smiled innocently. "Yeah, let's play tag! Ciunas, You're it!" He spun and raced away, and his sister panicked, tripped over a root, and followed.
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Post by Ren on Mar 2, 2017 4:47:04 GMT -4
Well great that did nothing to answer his questions, but with the word from his mother he knew it was time to stop asking. He frowned, dissatisfied, but was quickly distracted by tag.
"Hey no fair!" he shouted as he fumbled around and broke into the best run he could after his siblings.
His sisters trip had slowed her and he managed to stretch out to pounce on her mid-run, sending them both tumbling.
"Tag!" he said, laughing, and raced away in the same direction as Talon.
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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Mar 2, 2017 5:43:29 GMT -4
Sera yelped and went through three full rotations before managing to scramble upright, albeit a bit dizzy. "I'll get you!" she shouted after Ciunas, despite not being able to see him, then leapt forwards after the little crunching noises the two boys were making.
Talon circled back and pounced on Ciunas, tumbling them both under a shrub. "Ssssssh." he hissed noisily. "Mama wanted us to leave to talk to Mr. Nick, so we should sneak back and hear it!"
Seraphina's black muzzle appeared in the bush. "Hear what?"
Morgana and Nick were sitting in the clearing, Nick's pelt throwing unnatural amounts of lights around them. Morgana was trying to approach the matter carefully, but considering he was already blowing canyons into existence, he needed to know what he was capable of.
"You are fire and air, Nick." He seemed to prefer Nick right now, as uncomfortable as the name made her. "You are the sun." He looked baffled and she met his eyes steadily, trying to convey seriousness to a wolf that seemed to shrug it off his shoulders, trying to feel the blocks in his memory, finding fuzzy gaping holes. She flinched. "Please, trust me. You have a lot of power, it would be wise to be careful about...wishes, among other things."
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Post by Ren on Mar 3, 2017 5:42:55 GMT -4
Ciunas agreed with his brother's suggestion, bouncing with excitement. Spying was always fun. He beckoned Sera to follow and they crawled through the bushes, quiet as their little bodies could be, until they were within earshot.
"Why does she think he's the sun?" Ciunas whispered to his siblings. "I know he's bright but he's obviously not the sun..."
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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Mar 3, 2017 20:41:36 GMT -4
Talon made a very tiny shrugging motion. "Maybe he's a real small sun? "Oooh," whispered Sera, "maybe he's a star!? They're way smaller than the suns but they're still real bright!" "He's not real bright," Talon giggled quietly, as in the clearing, Nick was giving their mother a look that suggested she'd gone ever so slightly around the bend.
Morgana sighed, and ignored the audience. Nick did not appeared to have noticed the shuffles and crunkles. "You stopped a cave from being by wanting it gone, sunshine follows you because you generally don't like rain, and do be careful at night, because I suspect your pelt could blind if you had a mind to. Isn't there anything you remember?"
The white wolf considered. His coat dimmed to almost-natural white. "Confidence?" he said, "Appreciation of beauty? These feel like memories but they don't sound like memories, do they?"
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Post by Ren on Mar 3, 2017 21:03:40 GMT -4
Ciunas sat, getting comfy for listening.
"Do you think he's actually dead? You know, mama was telling us about how some wolves believe that the stars are dead ancestors?" he ventured.
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Post by TheCreamiieCat on Mar 5, 2017 0:30:25 GMT -4
Sera shuddered and whacked him with her paw. Talon looked uncomfortable, but in a way that suggested he wasn't quite thinking what his brother had said.
Either way, their mother distracted by saying, "Well, perhaps if you meet others you will remember more. I've been meaning to move on from here, if you would like to join us. Another pair of teeth and eyes would be very welcome."
Nick bounded to his paws, "Now?" he asked, "because if you want to wait for the daytime again-"
Light dawned in the skies, brightening every second to midday, and Morgana was on her paws too, "No! No, Nick, night time is ideal, go back, put them back!"
The white wolf flattened his ears. Morgana fretted, head to the skies. "It's safer to go in the dark, and with you with us we'll have enough light without affecting large celestial bodies."
The sunlight receded into darkness, more slowly on the return journey, almost sulkily.
SHe sighed. "I'm sorry, Nick. It pays to be careful around this place though."
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Post by Ren on Mar 6, 2017 4:54:00 GMT -4
Ciunas poked his tongue out at his sister, about to retaliate but soon distracted by the sudden influx of light. He ducked down on instinct, noticing his mother's immediate stress, and noticing that the light seemed to be directly controlled by Solaris.
"Y'know I think I get it now," he said, wonder in his voice. "How does he do that!?"
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