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 Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:11 pm
Things were... peaceful? Happy? Er... indifferent? Kinga wouldn't have been able to put her paw on just the right word to describe how things really 'were'. All in all, things seemed to be doing fairly well, however, she wasn't particularly sure if she should really be describing them as such. Technically, it'd been moons since Rhemi had deemed it time to leave their sides. She'd slipped away in the dead of night and when the pseudo-parents had woken up, the pup had no longer been there. It was then that they had come to realise the various amounts of 'hints' the 'pup' had thrown their way as is to prepare them for the moment she'd leave.
Nothing could have prepared them for her loss, and though Kinga knew the girl had done what she'd thought had been best for them by not forcing them into a tedious, overwhelming farewell session, it still hurt to know she'd not been able to hurt and wish her little girl goodbye. Granted, Rhemi had not really been 'her' little girl, but Kinga felt as if she were. Blood did not matter as much as soul and heart.
Maji was still Maji in all the ways she was used to. He was moody, he was grumpy and he was hurt from the ordeal, even after so long. For so long, she'd thought that it was Rhemi that held them together, and yet even now, after so many moons, they remain together. Even despite the bickering; maybe they'd grown used to each other. Kinga figured she had, for after all... she'd been a pack dog before her own pack had dispersed, died out. Maji was her new 'pack', and as stubborn and bull headed as she was, she was loyal to a fault. The male would have to kill her to run her off. Her eyes slid over to him as they padded the roguelands, such thoughts firmly in mind; a snort was offered, as if to punctuate said thoughts.
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:41 pm
It had indeed been a long time since Rhemi had left them behind, and it hurt Maji still. Before Kinga had decided the female needed a mother figure, it had been only he and Rhemi. She was his little girl, a daddy's girl beyond a reason of doubt, and now she was gone. He should have known she'd leave one day, as he had raised her to be independent and strong. He and Kinga had raised her to be independent, to seek out her own life, never let anything hold her back.
Maybe daddy's little girl just needed to live her life away from daddy.
Though, thinking of that reminded him that not only was he suffering the pain of his missing daughter, but for some reason Kinga hadn't left yet. He supposed maybe it was just because after so long being together, it would be too strange to part. Rhemi being here cemented them, but now what were they? It was a pain, almost, to try and decide the reasons behind it all.
As he came into view of her, he paused momentarily, staring at her back. Then, with a small sigh, he walked forward and plopped down onto his tummy at her side. "I don't think she's coming home," he said bluntly, his frown fixed.
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:50 pm
"Hmmm..." it was but a small sound; a hum at the back of her throat that indicated she had been pondering and he'd practically snapped her out of lala land. Her eyes strayed towards him briefly before they returned to the she'd been gazing at, feeling him flop down by her side, "I know," it was terminal and betrayed the fact she'd known that for a very long time.
Her words were not mean and were devoid the usual spark she used whenever she wanted to rile him up (it was just so darned funny), "I didn't expect her to," her nose lifted in the air as a breeze of wind pushed against her side, as if sniffing at it would give her the answers she was seeking at that moment... where was Rhemi? What was she doing? "She's out there," she said, "Living her life. And probably as happy as can be," sadly, that meant she was 'as happy as can be' without them. Despite all odds though, they were still together, and though she did not find that fact a pain, Kinga found it interesting enough to ponder during some sleepless nights.
"I'm not leaving," it was brought out of the blue for the first time; while it was true she'd not left his side yet, she'd never voiced the fact she wasn't going to in the future.
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Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:59 pm
"Yes, and I suppose even if that means she's out there without us, at least.. it's everything we could have ever wanted for her," he said softly, his eyes shutting for a moment as he took a deep breath. However, his breath was not an attempt to smell the wind as if Rhemi's scent my suddenly wash over him and tell him where she'd gone. No, that deep breath was to steady his shaking demeanor, his quickly beating, aching heart.
"What?" he asked suddenly, his eyes opening and his head whipping around to look at her. Sure, she hadn't left yet but he supposed deep down he always expected her departure to be just around the corner. In fact, what was even more surprising was the fact that he wasn't even angry or grumpy at that fact. "You mean you're going to stay with me?" he said, almost snorting as he did so. "After everything?" His tone was almost bemused.
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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 7:31 am
"She'll be fine," it was a mild reassurance to him... even if she did not quite know if this was true or not. While it was true that Kinga was hurting, the female was well aware it was him whom was the most hurt over the whole ordeal. Rhemi, in her attempt to remove herself without trouble from their lives, had created conflict. It wasn't her fault though, "Maybe she'll come back some day. She always was a dreamer," much more than she'd ever been as a child, but then again, she'd been a pack dog all her life.
Now... well, now things were different. She was no longer a pack dog and things were not going the same as they had when she was younger. There had been a time she had yearned for a pack once more; to find her place in life and her motive for existing. As she lay beside Maji, she was struck with the notion that perhaps she'd already found her so call 'place in life'. Strange as it was, she felt as if she belonged by his side, "I'm staying," she told him again as he turned to look at her with obvious surprise in his eyes, "I'm not going to leave. I'm staying with you," her head tilted to one side, as if judging him, her eyes travelling up and down his form, "After everything. Especially after everything," a small shrug from the female before she turned to glance down at the grass, "It feels like the right thing to do. I don't want to leave," and she was childish enough that she didn't so much as question this.
If it felt right, why not follow the instinct? Was there something wrong with happiness?
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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 8:06 am
"Yes, maybe she'll come back," he echoed thoughtfully, holding onto that small glimmer of hope that one day she might return to them with a head full of stories and eyes full of sights they couldn't even begin to imagine. Somehow, somewhere in the depths of his heart he seriously doubted this. His little girl was born to be independent, he had raised her that way from the start and no amount of Kinga's mother had been able to change the course he had set her on. He had meant for Rhemi to never need anyone else, to never be left alone and not know how to take care of herself again. That's not to say he hadn't shown her affection, or hadn't loved her, for he had - she was spoiled in her own way. No, she was just well equipped to take the world on headstrong.
Maji himself hadn't really been a pack dog, per say. He had been a part of a large family, born to a single mother who couldn't seem to learn when enough was enough. Multiple large litters that left the older to defend the young until they were old enough to be the new baby sitters, and then the older fled for the hills. That's exactly what he had done, and he had never once looked back. A life of solitude had been what he had expected, at least until Rhemi had stumbled into his world with those sad little puppy eyes and no hope for survival on her own. He couldn't have refused her, not for anything. "I won't make you leave," he said softly, nodding to himself and turning his gaze away from her. She had helped him raise Rhemi, she had helped him do everything right, and it was only because of her that their little girl might have some hope out there. They were connected in so many ways now, he knew that, and if she left.. she'd take the last little piece of this world he had with her.
"It feels right to have you here," he admitted, quietly, and a bit stiffly. Feelings weren't really his forte, but it seemed needed.
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:16 am
"Maybe," she said softly, but in all honesty, did not really believe her own words. The girl wasn't going to come back. She'd left because she'd felt the need to and there was no power on earth that would make her come back. That would be like admitting defeat... admitting that she needed them, and if anything, they had raised Rhemi so she wouldn't need anyone. It was a double edged sword.
As he spoke again, her head turned to gaze at him, her tail giving a mild swish over the ground, "You wouldn't be able to get rid of me even if you tried to get rid of me," a small smirk touched her maw at that point, as if expecting him to argue the point. But she knew deep down that he knew she was just about as stubborn as he was, and that only meant they would headbutt time and time again, "S'good that you won't feel the need to fight it though. Refreshing."
A sigh escaped her maw and then she shook her head, "Feels right, looks right... it's right. I don't question it. Do you?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 3:20 pm
"I bet I could," he said with a daring smirk, though for once his words seemed to lack that competitive edge, that spark that said he was really pushing for an argument. He did chuckle though, knowing that it would have been a hard fight, one he wasn't even sure he'd know how to go about if he wanted to. That was just the thing at that point though - he didn't actually want to. So, instead, he just shook his head at her and settled himself more comfortably on his stomach. "You're right though, I won't fight you this time. It's a peaceful change of pace."
He thought about her question for a moment, mulling it over in his head. Should he really question something that felt so right? He supposed he had every right to, considering their agreement had only ever been for as long as Rhemi was a pup, and now she was no longer, and was not even with them. Still, what was the use of questioning something that just felt natural? If he questioned it, he might kill it, and then he might be faced with something even worse. Regret, realization, and any number of other things. "No," he said finally, his words soft but not weak, "no, I don't question it. Not now, at least, not when we can just let it happen." There would be a time and a place to figure it out, to wonder what was really here and why it was at all. For now though, no, it was just fine the way it was.
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 3:34 pm
"Bet you damn well couldn't," she snorted back with a distinct air of mock superiority; the dog went as far as to arch her head up into the air so that her nose was held up. All in all, she looked slightly amusing, for it was obvious she was mocking him, mocking herself... rather than actually meaning her words. She'd always liked to bait him, from day one she'd found some sort of pleasure in the bickering.
At the end of the day it meant he cared, didn't it? He wouldn't have bothered to bicker with her if he'd not cared what she thought. That was probably why Kinga had never really minded arguing with him. Not that she was prepared to tell him as much or even start to admit that small fact to herself; she was comfortably in denial and nothing was going to budge her. At least for the time being, "Change..." she said as she lowered her head back down to normal level, "Is good at times," then she moved slightly so that her maw could n** playfully at his ears before she licked it, "Give it a chance."
That said, she gave him back his personal space and turned to lean her head over her paws, "Sides," she continued, "Thinking too much hurts," amazingly enough, Kinga meant it; it wasn't a joke. She'd never been a thinker by far. She was more used to just waiting things out till they became clear to her. This would be no diferent.
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 4:00 pm
He snorted at her exaggerated mocking, shaking his head at the way she made her nose stick up. He knew what was real and what wasn't from her. After all, by now he'd seen a good deal of both and probably knew her better than anyone else. As it were, he just rolled his eyes at it and went back to staring ahead of him, the corner of his mouth slightly upturned into a smirk. They both won and lost a fair share of arguments and bets, so it would honestly be hard to say who would win or lose before they actually tried and this wasn't one of those times he was going to attempt it. He'd still hold the belief that he would be the victor. Typical Maji thoughts.
He did care, in his own way, though he wouldn't admit and at the moment he probably didn't even realize it himself. He had a wonderful way of deluding himself and not letting his mind see what was right in front of him. One day he would probably wake up with the cold, hard truth staring him right in the face - much like he had when Rhemi had left. However, today wasn't that day, it just set him on the path to it. "Change," he said softly, his ears twitching a little as she licked at them and his eyes rolling to the side to stare at her curiously, "we'll see." He was a skeptic, but he didn't doubt her in this one. He was just a little nervous about what change meant to him and his way of life, especially when she was thrown into the equation.
He was about to make a joke, a snarky comment about her brain and thinking, when he cut himself off. She wasn't joking and something about the air seemed to say that it was inappropriate. For once, he heeded that and simply nodded. "You're right," he murmured, "it's not time for thinking." He just lay his head on his paws, rolling a little closer to her, though not in her personal space. He was sure things would go along whatever course was planned for them, as they had so far. The world had a funny way of working things out.
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