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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 8:08 pm
"Alessa and Sir Snake do not need to know about this," Ren said, as primly as he could, and then turned his attention back to Jove. The puppy had moved back a bit at his hand, wincing, but after a moment or two of hesitation, Ren felt cool fingers touch his own. There was a rustling noise and Jove's tail flicked shyly from side to side as he inched forward.
That is, until something warm and heavy flopped on top of Ren, and the tiny cold fingers disappeared as Jove hastily retreated, shrinking back into the blankets. Ren let out a surprised oomph, twisting his head up to find a rather familiar looking red wolf grinning at him. LW's tongue licked his face and Ren gave a mock disgusted "Ewwwwww" before pushing her head playfully away.
"Look, see?" Ren said to Jove, gesturing at LW. "She's like you." Sort of. "I'm kind of similar." Not really. "Well, I'm an animal, at least."
He debated on shifting, just to show the puppy, but then that might frighten him more. After all, in his natural form, Ren was massive, taking up at least half of his dorm room, perhaps more. LW shifting was enough, for now. Ren patted her nose affectionately, rubbing her muzzle.
Ren reached out his hand to Jove again, this time both of them. "Didn't I promise I'd never let anything happen to you?" he said gently, smiling at the boil. "Come on, Freckles, come out, and I'll give you something sweet."
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 8:32 pm
The she-wolf laughed at him again. "Oh but they do need to know about this!" She teased. "It will only add even more confusion to the debate on whether or not you are more cat or bird."
LW licked at his fingers when he shoved her head away too, glancing back under the bed. She saw understanding light up his eyes and her tail wagged again. "I thought so. I'd love to see this other form of yours sometime, small one." Shaking her head, she nuzzled Ren's cheek, lowering her head so it rested on the ground. "Kind of similar..." The she-wolf glanced up at the gryphon. "You are in no way similar, Ren. For starters, you are way too big."
The hand on her muzzle pulled the reaction that Gabrian loved so much out of her. LW leaned into it with a small sigh and let her eyes slant almost shut. In her opinion, it was over too quickly. And now she wanted her ears scratched. And her chin. Maybe her belly too. Was that asking too much of the gryphon?
Feeling like, well, herself, LW rolled onto her back so her feet were curled in the air. "What?!" Her voice had that mocking tone of hurt. "Are you implying I am a mean old wolf that would do something to such an adorable puppy?" LW pawed at him, tail smacking against his leg. "You keep adding things against you, kitten."
Looking under the bed upside down now, LW let her tongue loll out, in a good mood and still playful. "I will never hurt you. You're too Jack damned cute for that." Her eyes shifted to her best friend beside her. "Maybe we should both get Ren back for being an obnoxious gryphon." Of course she used that word again.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 8:57 pm
Jove snorted, his ears flopping forward with the action. That he would agree to, Ren was WAY too big, the pup had to content himself with curling up in the sweater Ren had lent him instead of sharing more of the gryphon's clothing. At least it was a really nice sweater...
He scowled at Ren, like he could be bribed out with cookies! He wasn't a little kid! Perhaps his actions begged to differ, the way he hid under the bed like a scared pup was very close to showing his age. Then he turned his grumpy scowl towards LW. He wasn't THAT small, it sounded like a tease much along the same lines as Ren calling him Puppy.
It wasn't until LW rolled onto her back that Jove relaxed again, and even began to look curious. That was something the pup didn't do in his natural form, she must have been very comfortable right there in Ren's room, trusting, and non-threatening. He began to wiggle out slightly, but not because he wanted sweet things, or to get Ren for being... well, Ren.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:18 pm
"Do not," Ren said, sounding very much like a child arguing with a parent. "And I still maintain that I am more cat." Though for reasons you aren't going to know about, he thought to himself, casting a sidelong glance at LW. The shewolf did not know about his purring, and he was not about to let on to that dirty little secret anytime soon. As of right now, Jove and Gabrian knowing was more than enough.
"And I never said it was you I was protecting you from, silly wolf!" Ren added with a laugh, batting at her muzzle. "And I am not big." The protest was not very strong, even more negated by the fact that he was snickering as he said it.
He turned back to Jove. "Hey!" he said, with a mock offended tone. "Don't give me that look! I know how much you love sweets and cookies! Why wouldn't I try to tempt you out from under there with them? Heck, I would come out from under there if it meant getting cookies."
Absently reaching over to scratch LW's belly with his right hand, Ren reached under the bed with his left, stretching his fingers towards the puppy until he touched Jove's wrist. Wrapping his hand around the younger boil's arm, Ren tugged, only a little hard, until he had managed to get Jove entirely out, pulling the other up into his lap as he sat cross-legged on the floor.
"There now," he said. "Much better."
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 10:13 pm
LW gave him a snort, much more impressive when she was in this form. "Lies! I don't believe it. Especially not after you just squawked, dear." A wolfish snicker escaped at the memory.
The she-wolf snapped her jaws lightly at him. "You sure it wasn't me?" Using a paw she swatted at him and glanced under the bed again. The scowl directed first at Ren, then at herself had her snorting at the pup this time. "Please. Have you seen how tall I am?" She managed to give him a quirky look. "If I can be called little and small, then I can definitely call you that too."
"Mmmm...are you a sugar hound too?" Her bright eyes regarded Jove. "Sweet things sound good right now." But not as good as the belly rub that Ren gave her. Oh skulls! That was amaaaazing! One of her front paws lightly hooked around the hand that scratched her belly. Shifting a little, she leaned into his hand and let her head gently rest against his knee. This time she closed her eyes completely and enjoyed the sweet sensation that a belly rub created, a soft rumble of pleasure rising up from her chest. If done juuuuust right, it could be almost as good as the pull of the full moon when it sang to the wolf's blood. Faintly, her mind informed her it was a REALLY GOOD THING she had not been in human form. Ren didn't need to discover just how much she melted getting a belly rub in that form.
In her currently and happily oblivious state, LW didn't realize Ren had snagged Jove until that earthen and forest scent was right there. She opened one of her eyes a little to see that the pup was now in Ren's lap. Well, this was the closest she was probably going to get today, so she moved her head slightly, still keeping it against Ren's knee while she sniffed at Jove. It struck at her memory again and finally a face appeared in her mind. Holly. The fox spirit.
"You are a fox of some sort, aren't you?" She asked the pup softly. It was going to take her a few minutes for her brain to fully connect again.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:27 pm
Jove slid neatly out from under the bed, taking the blanket half way out with him. Most of his attention was focused on LW rather than Ren as he let himself be handled, his distracted state making him that much more pliable and easy to move. He had never played with a wolf before, the most experience he had with playing in general was either a good tug of war with his minipets or Ren's attempts to get him playing Scario Kart. He was getting better, at least at the latter. In his natural form he was even runty by foxfire standards, and would get tugged around real good if he tried playing like that.
Maybe one day he would show her his true form, both her and Ren. Even the gryphon hadn't seen how small and fluffy he was naturally. But not now, he had no intention of appearing even smaller and even more vulnerable. He glanced up at the gryphon's jaw, scowling ever so slightly. Maybe when Ren stopped calling him Puppy...
Suddenly he felt warm breath against his bare leg and quickly jerked away. With a barely audible whine he tugged the hem of his nightshirt down over his scrawny knees, thinking about LW's question for a minute before giving her a confused look that bordered on worried. Now, was he a dog-like little fox, or a fox-like little dog? It wasn't really a question he knew how to answer, he just knew he was entirely canine.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:33 pm
"I still maintain that I did, in fact, not squawk," Ren said to LW, glancing down at her, amusement clearly evident in his eyes. The shewolf had her head against his knee, looking completely and totally at ease, even letting out a pleased rumble. He tilted his head, lifting his brows. "Ohoho," he said. "Have I found a weak spot of yours, Little Wolfe Tamaroc? It seems I have~"
Ren couldn't really say anything, however, considering his own...weaknesses were similar to the shewolf's. Not that LW was aware of this, and not that he was going to admit it anytime soon, but it was relatively amusing to know that they shared that particular trait.
Sitting with Jove in his lap, Ren caught the scowl directed up at him. "Yes?" he said innocently, blinking down at the puppy. "Are you giving me that look because you don't want to be considered small? It's okay, LW here isn't all that big. Nothing wrong with being small~"
Ren wrapped a friendly arm around the boil's waist, resting his head on his shoulder. His position, however, was disrupted almost immediately when Jove jerked, pushing himself closer to Ren as he pulled his shirt down, looking faintly embarrassed and a little bit anxious. "Hey, no worries," Ren said lightly. "She's just scenting you, is all. Don't you do that in your form?"
He couldn't interpret the look Jove cast at LW, glancing curiously at the shewolf as well. "What's up, Freckles?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:10 pm
"Oh don't worry, kitten," LW sighed, not making any effort to move. She was in her own little piece of Heaven right now. "I won't tell them~" Violet eyes opened to slants and stared up at him. Jackdamnit! He was right. "If I said noooo, are you going to believe me?" She snorted at him. "Guess you discovered one of my dirty little secrets." This was murmured followed by a softer, "maybe I'll return the favor sometime." LW gave him a canine grin and looked at the pup again.
Her ears swiveled towards Jove and interest. She wanted to see his other form, yes. But she couldn't help the canine in her that wanted to play with the puppy. The she-wolf's tail thumped against the ground and she shyly pawed at him. He was so skittish, she didn't want spook him. Again.
LW snorted at his reaction to her sniffing him. A glint entered her eyes and after snorting at him again, LW rolled until she was able to get to her feet. Tail starting to wag a little more, she lowered her front half to the floor, eying the pup. "Want to play with a wolf, fuzzball?" She'd be gentle. And LW wouldn't be offended if he didn't want to. But really, it was too much to ask her at this point to NOT play with him, since cuddling wasn't an option.
"Don't worry about which you are." She added. "You're a canine. That is good enough for me." Her gaze flickered up to Ren's golden eyes with a wink.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:44 pm
Jove looked up at Ren with wide eyes when LW mentioned secrets. Why was it the pair seemed to keep pleasant secrets, like where to scratch to inflict the most pleasure? The pup would have thought secrets would be important things, like... being afraid of mimics. Or still taking the ghost dorm stairs at a run because he thought they were dark and creepy. Neither of those were things he wanted getting out. Now, ear rubs and scritches were a different matter, even though he didn't want either of those in public either.
The pup tugged again on his nightshirt, blushing and giving Ren a little whine. Yes, he used his nose in both forms, but he didn't walk right up to someone and breathe on them when they weren't paying attention!
He yawned, out of nervousness rather than sleepiness, and licked his lips. Did she want to play Scario Kart? Or... something different? Her posture was a clear signal that it was time to play something. And he did sort of want to play, she looked very soft, and he had no minipets who were quite so big. It was kind of scary, but he didn't have any reason to be afraid in Ren's room, right? The pup's tail gave a tiny little wag.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 7:43 pm
"And secrets are meant to be kept," Ren said, with a glance towards Jove as he winked at the puppy. "Aren't they, Freckles?"
It made him rather absurdly pleased to see that LW had taken a liking to Jove and that Jove seemed to slowly be opening up to the shewolf. Seeing as how attached he was to the younger boil already, he had hoped that LW, as his best friend, would be just as open towards Jove as Ren was. Not that he had ever doubted that she would; LW was notoriously friendly already, and she had one of the biggest hearts in the world. But there was still a small sense of anxiety that she wouldn't take to Jove like Ren had. So it made him stupidly happy over the fact that she had, or at least seemed to be.
He brushed his fingers lightly over Jove's hair. "Don't worry," Ren said again. "She's just being friendly."
Reaching out, Ren patted LW's head, tugging playfully at one of her ears. He gave a gentle nudge to Jove, nodding in LW's direction, as if encouraging the boil to go play with her. "Go ahead," Ren said cheerfully. "She won't do anything too dangerous or scary, I promise. She's very gentle."
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 8:46 pm
Her ears flicked back and forth as she lowered herself completely to the floor, keeping her head pressed firmly against the floor, front paws on either side. His reactions to her were adorable. It was clear to her that he wasn't used to being around other canines very much. Or rather that he was not yet....old enough? Mature enough? SOMETHING of that nature? To quite feel as open and unashamed about acting, well, normal.
"All in time, pup. You'll learn." LW said in a soft tone, eyes still very much playful. Her tail wasn't wagging quite as fast, but it was still moving. The muscles in her legs kept constricting with the restraint to NOT pounce on them both. Really, too much cute in the form of the small pup and her best friend sitting right there was going to be the death of her. Really, it was.
LW gave the gryphon a warm look when he patted her head, trying to nibble at his hand when he tugged an ear. "I promise you with my little wolfie heart," she said to Jove, tilting her head in a friendly gesture, "that I will not hurt or spook you, do anything dangerous (that was reserved for the other two boils)." The she-wolf pawed cutely in front of her, trying to encourage the puppy that yes, she wanted to play and no, she wasn't going to rough house. "And if for some reason you get panicked, just tug an ear and I'll stop."
"Also, BFF?" The she-wolf gave him the most cutest and angelic puppy dog eyes that she could muster currently. "I want a cookie."
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:16 pm
The pup nodded, that was the definition of a secret, was it not? He glanced at LW, all the reassurance from both older students bolstering his courage just enough to reach out a tentative hand. It just barely grazed the fur at LW's neck as Jove hesitated for a second. Then he began stroking the fur with an expression that went from uncertainty to curiosity. He hadn't expected it to be so soft!
The little boil began to relax, even leaning forward to give the friendly she-wolf a more enthusiastic petting. Finally he crawled out of Ren's lap and sat on his feet next to LW so he didn't have to reach so far. Maybe it wasn't playing like she wanted, but it was interaction! And that was a good start to their friendship.
The petting came to a halt when LW mentioned cookies, because at that moment Jove's ears perked and he also fixed the gryphon with an adorable "please may I have one too?" expression. As with the previous night, it was a completely unintended side-effect of his desire and lack of incentive to vocalize it, the pup didn't even realize he had such a compelling a puppy-dog pleading face. And if he did realize it, he might just be horrified at the damage it did to his attempts to act grown up.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:16 pm
One of Ren's ears flicked upwards, his head tilting in a very catlike manner as he regarded the two people in front of him. LW, still in her wolf form, was a rather small animal, no bigger than about three or four feet at most in length. But what she lacked in size she made up for in confidence and agility. LW was nimble on her feet, and her enormous heart made balanced everything out entirely.
It was rather the same with Jove. Though Ren had not seen his new friend in his animal form yet, there was something about the younger boil that drew Ren towards him. Perhaps it was his naivety, the impulsive sweetness and bashful shyness. Or maybe it was just the fact that Ren felt as though he could do something for Jove (though what exactly that was, he had no idea). He wanted to be his friend and protect him. It was odd, and unusual, but not unpleasant. On the contrary, Ren felt more at ease than he had in a long time. After all, he already had LW, Alessa, and Gabrian. What had made him lucky enough now, to find a friend like Jove?
Ren raised an eyebrow. "A cookie?" he repeated in amusement, gaze flickering over to Jove, who was now petting LW very carefully, with great care. The boil seemed fascinated with her, shifting off of Ren to move closer, and Ren stifled a smile, hiding it behind his hand as he stood up, moving towards the bedside cabinet.
"Yes, yes, cookies," he said with a laugh, ruffling Jove's fluffy hair playfully. "And of course everyone can have some. Also, Freckles, we've gotta have a talk about that look of yours," he added, casting a mock-serious glance back at the boil. "You seem to have a very interesting habit of making me want to do anything for you..."
That outrageously adorable expression is just too much, Ren thought, resisting the urge to throw his arms around the puppy. He smiled warmly at Jove to show that he wasn't really being serious and sat down with a bag of Alessa's homemade cookies, passing it around to everyone.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:54 pm
The she-wolf all but wriggled with excitement when the pup's hand finally brushed against her fur. And then he was petting her and it didn't seem so hesitant anymore. But, HE WAS PETTING HER. No, she was not a sucker for attention in this form. What blasphemy! LW kept her movements minimal, but she couldn't help but lean in to his small hands.
"Remind me to eventually return this favor to you, too." She murmured to Jove as she ended up leaning her snout against his legs to give better access to her scruff. It felt gooood. If he hit just the right spot....her foot twitched a little.
Of course a whine escaped when he stopped. She was blissfully receiving so much spoiling in this one sitting! First Ren had given her a belly rub (HEAVEN!) and now Jove had been stroking her fur. Yep. She was nothing more than an overly large pup herself right now. He was a sweet kid. LW was already considering him a friend. An adorable one.
"Yes. A cookie." She agreed and wagged her tail like any old house dog would do for a treat. The she-wolf just happily continued to lay where she was, letting Jove pet her and get used to her. Although she was restraining herself. A lot. The pup spooked easily. It made her wonder how well he would do meeting the other two? They all had this habit of wanting to snatch up something cute and cuddle it. Especially Gabrian.
"Bah! Don't listen to him pup." LW nuzzled his legs gently. "Ren will cave if anyone gives him...that look." The last was said in a sweet and very much not innocent way. The gryphon and her boilfriend didn't do so well under the puppy dog eyes. Which was twice as bad if said puppies were in animal form. Something she'd have to teach Jove to use as a secret weapon when needed.
Nose twitching, LW caught a familiar scent on that bag and her ears twitched, perking up. "Are those Alessa's homemade cookies?" That meant they would taste divine! Because the rest of them sucked at cooking. And no, she didn't shift back to take a cookie. Why would you ask that? It was much more amusing to make Ren give her a cookie like she was his pet. So she just wagged her tail at him. Waiting innocently.
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:02 pm
Jove blinked at Ren, head tilting in confusion. Was there something wrong with his look? He glanced at LW, worried puppy expression turned towards the she-wolf. She knew what was wrong with his look, but didn't appear inclined to say anything about it. It was like some huge older-student conspiracy.
The cookies calmed him down somewhat, and he took one to nibble on as he listened to the pair of friends banter, one hand once again resting on LW's scruff. What did she mean, return the favour? The little pup had such a hard time letting others touch him, he had never experienced the joys of a good scratch, or a belly rub, or a back rub. Sleeping next to someone or being hugged was one thing, but it was different from letting a person put their hands all over him, and Jove got all antsy if anyone tried. Ren's casual back rubs from the night before were as close as it got.
His hand went idly back to rubbing LW's shoulder, and he watched the way her tail fwumped back and forth. Jove was not much of a tail-wagger, such expressions on his part were sporadic, and short-lived in comparison.
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