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 Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 8:06 pm
Tauro looked down at the two little boys, her ears pricked. Her tail began to slowly thump the ground again. She looked up at Seiphyr in the cave entrance. "Gerda… I think we girls just became outnumbered." She threw back her head and barked with laughter. That was fine--now Seiphyr could teach them all they needed to know about boyhood things.
They were beautiful, both of them, though pressed together, white to black, they looked like polar opposites. Both had the snakings of Gerda's dragons. Both had a brilliant blue Tauro knew didn't come from her branch of the family. Still, they were so tiny, so perfect...
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:40 pm
Seiphyr lay quietly outside the den walls, nibbling on his tail and sides. Nerves made him itchy. Thanks to Tauro, he was about to be a big brother to puppies. If it wasn't for her finding him... He wasn't sure where he'd be. Probably in another pack. Maybe still on the road. He felt older than he was, probably because he'd travelled for so long. And how he missed Lithium... Hopefully he'd get to see her again soon...
He wanted to doze off, the weather called it, but he refused. Instead, he watched the den. Waited for his name to be called. His head tilted upwards at Tauro's bark of laughter and he slowly rose, padding to the opening of the den.
Gerda smiled and pointed to her belly with a jerk of her muzzle. Seiphyr followed her gaze downwards, to two little lumps, one black and one white. His tail began to wag slowly. "Boys?" he asked softly, getting excited. They smelled male to him. Gerda nodded briefly, then rested her head on her paws with a sigh. Sei grinned and padded back out, his spirits high. He sat down right outside the mouth, scanning the ground with his eyes.
He would protect the den and the babies!
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 1:20 pm
An odd vibration seemed to flow from the den site; a sense of happening that would alert any wolf in the immediate area that something miraculous was occurring. They didn't need to hear anything, or see, but the sensation still tickled at a particular wolf as she traveled close to the center of Gomorrah. Her black nose often reached into the air, wondering if this would give her some sort of reassurance, but when not a single smell interrupted her senses, she continued forward, her curiosity getting the better of her. If something intriguing was occurring she would be part of it.
The glint of silver treasures hung from her sleek jaw, usually always present, and no matter what the objects were they were always accompanied with her most precious object, a silver key that she had obtained on her first mission of thievery. It defined her. And if it wasn't her key that she associated as her unique distinction, it was the silver serpentine creature that slithered down her spine; the only problem with her snaking pattern was who it had come from in her young bloodline. The mother she was nearing, of course, was the sole provider of the unique adornment. Pride, however, was seldom found when it was associated with Gerda. Abital didn't truly understand her animosity toward the female that had birthed her and her siblings, but the tension was there all the same.
Little did she know that was pulling her forward, caressing her muse with tendrils of unimaginative wonder, was the very wolf who brought her into the world, and had but moments before brought in two new brothers. Nearing the site the fur of her neck rose, her eyes almost instantly locked on the male outside of the den. A stranger indeed, someone whose vibrant colors she had never before laid eyes upon and would not quickly forget. He was like opal, a glimmering stone that immediately caught her thieving eye. But what was he doing here? More importantly, what was going on in the den? "Who ar' you?" she mumbled, the objects in her maw obscuring her speech. Her tail flicked up, dominantly, but her head was held level with her shoulders, the position more calculative than threatening.
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 1:51 pm
Seiphyr sat, watching the treeline for any sign of movement. He knew the alphas did their rounds usually in the evening and it was still broad daylight, so the flicker of navy which caught his eye made his attention pique and his head raise. Ears swiveled towards the sounds of lightly-treading pawsteps and he rose to all fours, giving a growl.
He had never seen the wolfess who padded closer to him before. She was a deep navy, the color of the midnight sky, with a familiar-looking dragon upon her side. A serpent of steel gray...just like Gerda's. Was this one of her daughters?
His head lowered a little more submissively than before, but his tail never wagged, never moved an inch. The wolfess carried a small key in her mouth; it dangled from her maw like a sparkling gem. Who was he? Who was -she-?
"I'm called Seiphyr," he said, curiosity peeking around his nerves. He was to protect the den, afterall...who was this strange wolf? "I'm the newest member of Gomorrah and the protector of this den. Who are you?" He glanced back in at Tauro and Gerda, gave a huff to alert them of a stranger's presence, and returned his pale blue gaze upon the serpent-sided female.
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Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 1:55 pm
Gerda heard the voice from outside the den, muffled and slightly familiar. A niggling voice in the back of her head said to be worried for her young, but the white wolf took everything in stride. Pale eyes flickered to Tauro, where her sister lay, then back out at Seiphyr. Seiphyr was doing his job, surprisingly well for such a submissive pup. It was like he knew he had to protect them.
Even from family.
Slowly, she stood, careful not to wake the babies, and padded out. Abital stood there opposite the male, watching him. Her eyes locked on her daughter, a smile rising on her maw; a tired smile, but a smile nonetheless. She glanced back in at Tauro, then wagged her tail, welcoming Abital back into the family if she wished it.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 11:57 am
Tauro, too, listened to Seiphyr's brave words. Wasn't this the five-pound weakling she'd found doggedly running with no destination only a few months ago? Piper had hoped he might make a hunter and Tauro suggested he become pup-sitter, but she had never suspected to see this sort of spirit in him. It made her heart soar with pride. Was this how Gerda felt, as a mother, when you watch your little one grow up with pride?
She was not, however, pleased at the wolf Seiphyr spoke to. Tauro would not forgive Gerda's daughters for despising their mother, even if Gerda wished to forgive them. Perhaps she was stubborn. Perhaps, too, she was jealous. Now that she had found Gerda, she wanted to keep her sister to herself. They made a proper family.
Instinctively, she moved closer to the pups, tucking them against her own belly and wrapping her tail around them. She stayed within the den, watching the activities through the doorway with slitted eyes. Against the sun, they all appeared as dark silhouettes in a very strange montage.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 10:19 pm
How old was this pup? He certainly wasn't small, but something about his lanky form and large paws was an immediate distinction between adulthood the she-wolf noticed. But he wasn't that young either. An adolescent obviously, and a trespasser as far as she was concerned. Had Piper welcomed him into the pack? If that was so, she had no qualm with his being here; she paused, pondering why she even cared. She rarely spent time in Gomorrah anyway, so what did it matter to her who was let into the pack.
"Seiphyr, huh?" she repeated. He would need a new name, but her attention was far more interested in what lay beyond his large paws. It wasn't but a second or so later that her eyes shifted away, catching glimpse of the snowy form until her vision focused on the motherly figure. Her posture was tired, weary, and her anatomy had certainly changed to accommodate pups. When did this happen? More importantly, how was the father of the newly born pups? She suspected what had caught her attention that drove her here now was the birth, now understanding what intrigued her so.
"So, ah, you- jus no'?" she said, the objects swinging enough to tap her neck. The kindly look in her mother's eyes was almost foreign. While she recognized it many times from the female, it was still surprising to see her behave with such forgiveness. Gerda had every right to hate Abital and her sisters. She wouldn't blame her.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 11:41 pm
"Yes," he murmured, eyes locked on Abital. Who was she, anyway? What brought her to the dens?
Seiphyr watched the stranger uncertainly, sitting down with his hackles still a little bristly. At least until Gerda padded out. He caught sight of Tauro wrapping herself around the pups and he smiled, a warm feeling filling his heart.
Gerda looked at him, giving a quick nod. The stranger would be okay...? He flicked his ears back and slumped to the ground, never leaving his position in front of the den. Not that he was sure what he'd do if she attacked...
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 11:45 pm
Gerda had every right to hate the pups who had disowned her long ago. She had every right to despise them for what they were- greedy little whelps who only cared for themselves.
But Gerda could not.
Instead, all she felt was the same motherly feeling whenever one of her daughters approached her. A warm feeling that washed over her heart and calmed her worried soul. Her tail wagged slightly, watching Abital carefully.
Yes... She nodded, looking back in at the den and then sitting down beside Seiphyr. This was her old den, the den she'd raised Abital's litter in. It held both fond and terrible memories... Surely the navy she-wolf knew this. But perhaps with time and love, her newest children, her still-unnamed sons, would change the terrible memories into better ones.
She smiled again and sighed, almost happily. Then tilted her head to one side. What had Abital come for, anyway?
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 9:38 pm
"Ah," she mumbled, unsure of what to say with the awkward silence creeping up around them. Certainly the air was full of life, but now in this moment shared in such a familiar territory with the female she had been female she was raised, it seemed strange and deathly quiet as they observed one another. The navy female remembered the den being so much larger. Had she really grown that much? It wasn’t' small by any means, but she remembered cascading walls and a deep enough corridor for the whole family to lay comfortably. Perhaps this little idea was distorted with time.
Her moment of remaining when Abital realized the moment was growing long. Those pale eyes of Gerda was staring back at her, expecting something of her, and feeling for the first time some amount of guilt and anxiety, the thief began to ponder. It didn't take her long. Though her greed was vast, she didn't have any particular attachment to any of her precious items, only finding their worth when they were challenged for the ownership of another wolf. The only object she held with some sort of intrinsic value was her key, something she prized above all things, alive or inanimate. Cocking her head to the side the she-wolf battled. Would she give something up? Maybe she could use what she brought with her as some sort of trinket for the pups. A gift if you will. More or less, it was in her opinion something she could use to barter some forgiveness from the white she-wolf. She didn't need to be forgiven, but for now, in the presence of her new siblings, Abital felt she needed something to warrant her being there.
"Erm...the' can h've these," she muttered, lowering her muzzle down to drop what she had. The key having gone with the little objects, her nose lightly tossed it up, scooping it back into her mouth. At her paws lay a few little trinkets she had acquired recently, having found the metal objects at a human's site some miles off. They were quite a find among the usual rocks, strings, and beads she found no value for outside of their estates. "They're not much, but you can, ah, let them have them. I don't really need them, I think."
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 8:32 pm
Gerda, too, felt the unease settle between them. She looked down at her paws, then up at Abital, taking turns between the two. Abi didn't seem to know what to say to her and Gerda, well...she couldn't say much of anything.
She looked up when her daughter dropped two glittering silver items. They shone in the dappled sunlight, making Gerda's ears p***k up. Human things... Abital had found them? She pointed her gaze to the blue wolf who carried her serpent. The mother in her wanted to reprimand her for going into the human's lands...
But she did nothing. She merely smiled, nosing the objects which she would someday give her pups. When they got older, and could respect them... She gave a sharp nod, holding her head high. Her tail wagged, hopefully showing her thanks, and after a moment, she stood up.
She was tired... Childbirth had been hard on the older wolf. Slowly, uncertainly, she stepped forwards, giving Abital's muzzle a brief lick before casting her gaze downwards, then, scooping up the delicate gifts, turned and headed back into the den. She curled up beside Tauro, smiling at her sister.
What would they name the little bundles of joy? She cocked her head to one side.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 8:51 pm
Tauro sniffed curiously at the objects. She had never had much interest in the humans or their doings, though these objects were… pretty enough. Rather useless, in her opinion. But if that was how Gerda and her daughter would make peace, so be it.
As Gerda lay next to her, Tauro rested her head on her sister's paws, the pups now cocooned between them. Brown and white pressed together against black and white. She looked up at her sister's expression, attemping to divine her meaning. While Gerda and Laos had always been closest, Tauro was getting better at interpreting Gerda's body language.
"What are we to call the little ones?" she mused, looking at their sleeping bodies. How had Gerda named her last litter? Had the father done it for her? Were the names even her doing? She didn't wish to take that honor from Gerda, but hopefully she would manage to decipher her proposed callings. Besides, Tauro had never been very imaginative.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 11:42 pm
Gerda smiled as her sister's nose rested on her own two pristine white paws. Her tail swished the ground once before settling once more and she turned to the two puppies nestled between them.
The first had her white pelt, two long dragon-esque arms reaching out on either one of his shoulders. As if the dragon would snatch him away, to switch out the real puppy for a fake. Switch... Switch... How was she to name a puppy if she couldn't speak?
She stood up once more, motioning with her nose for Tauro to follow. Pausing right at the mouth of the den, she quickly scratched the word into the soft earth. Switch.
But what to call the little black boy? She sat down, musing to herself. Names... She had always considered the name Cypress to be pretty, but it was more feminine. She could name him after her black and blue brother, Nacht... But she wanted something a little more unique. After a few minutes of thinking, she hopped to her feet once more, swiping clean the first name and writing N-o-v-i-k in its place. Novik... Simple, but beautiful.
Switch and Novik.
Now, she just hoped Tauro could read her haphazard writing...
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 11:05 pm
Tauro gently unwound herself from the sleeping pups and followed Gerda curiously. She didn't like leaving the tiny bodies, but with three caretakers hovering nearby, she doubted anything would happen. She would protect those pups. Three had become two and it would not narrow to one. She and Gerda and Seiphyr would all make sure.
The first name came quickly. "Switch," Tauro read aloud, glancing at Gerda for confirmation. But which one, white or black? Finally, out poured the next name. "Novik." She looked back into the den, then padded inside.
She bent her muzzle to sniff the pups once more. Novik would be the black, she was sure of it; Novik like night. That left the white one with Switch. "Switch," she said, repeating the name as she touched the pup with her snout. "Novik." She smiled, and looked back up where Seiphyr sat in the entrance. Seiphyr, her son. "Come in, cousin Seiphyr," she called. "Come meet your baby brothers."
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