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 Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:57 pm
 Rays of heated sunlight had begun to creep across crisp blades of grass, closing the shaded gap between the open clearing and Valerian's covered retreat. It was a warm summer afternoon. Many seemed to cherish the burning ball in the sky while it hung high overhead during the brief season of warmth, because winter stretched on for many more months in comparison. The cold was bitter and harsh. Valerian often took advantage of days like this where his little bluebird companion could flourish in a gentle setting. This bird was meek and often times lacking in basic intelligence. Val often blamed himself for this since he coddled the fledgling from a very young age after it had broken it's delicate wing. Unfortunately, the dire had stripped away his little nameless friend completely of all common smarts as far as survival goes.
While his feathered friend was suppose to be scavenging for seeds and bugs the wolf caught up on his sleep. You'd be surprised just how rotten Valerian's luck was. Throughout his endless trek the dire had little blessing when it came to finding secure and safe hiding places to shut his eyes. True, he was not a wanted wolf or had many enemies that he was aware of but it was always good practice to be cautious. A wise wolf who he held very close to his heart once told him that turning a blind eye on strangers was a fools choice. You need not be hostile but always aware. These were words that were instilled in Val from a young age and he would most likely carry them through to the remainder of his years.
As each passing minute allowed the shadows time to flee soon the slate grey male was baking under the unforgiving summer heat. A groan bellowed in his chest out of discomfort, and piercing honey eyes fluttered open. With a few seconds to come to his senses the wolf rolled up from his side and shook out his coat. He was always one to be conscious of his appearance. After all, presentation and first impressions were most important to a rogue wolf such as himself.
Upon scanning the forest surrounding him a sinking sensation dropped in his stomach. There were twitters and tweets but none that were familiar to him. A sense of dread began to overtake Val as he jumped to his paws and immediately began to pace around the small clearing of trees. In this sea of green and brown not a speckle of vivid blue could be found. Never, not even on occasion, did his little blue buddy stray no more than a few yards from him. Sure, it was an annoyance to Valerian to have something so clingy always on his fluff, but now he wished he never complained. Further and further he scanned the area. He dare not call out for his companion in fear of drawing unwanted attention. A rogue wolf, if given the chance, would love an easy meal. So he combed through the forest with diligent eyes. Where could his little friend be?Word Count: 517
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:33 pm
 The nimble she-wolf weaved her way through the trees away from the clearing. It would have been amazing to see how quickly Seika could move without her paws making a sound, but she made sure no one witnessed her theft. She was not, however, completely soundless, for there was a slight chirp coming from her mouth. This faint noise betraying her stealth and the movement of the frantic bird on the roof of her mouth and against her tongue agitated her. She was a fair distance away from the wolf from whom she swiped the bird, so she stopped and spat the little blue bird out, along with a feather or two.
The bird landed rather ungracefully on the forest floor, shaking itself before looking around with wide, frightened eyes. With a paw on its tail to prevent it from flying away, Seika observed the little, blue bird. It was scared, that was obvious, but it did not seem like it had a fear of being eaten. It was not trying to tear away from her grasp, and it was not wildly screaming as most prey screams when it fears for its life.
Her eyes narrowed, head tilting at the curious creature. She had swiped the bird of the back of a male dire sleeping in the clearing from where she fled. She was originally drawn to the male's pretty strands of beads as they glinted in the rising sun. She was going for the beads on the male's rump when she saw the little bird preening. It did not pay much mind to her originally, but then she got closer. It looked at her with curiosity rather than fear, it seemed. She stared at it for a few moments, wondering what could possibly possess a bird to sit with a wolf. It seemed so comfortable with him, and, judging by the small mats of fur evident on his rump, it had been with him for some time. This little bird's behavior baffled her, as well as the behavior of the male for allowing the bird to stay with him. Perhaps the bird was valuable in some way, and it was this line of reasoning that caused her to steal the bird instead of the beads. She had never stolen anything living before; she had no reason to do so. This bird, however, was just too interesting to pass up, so she picked it up in her mouth and vanished from view.
Its behavior was starting to make more sense to her. It had a bond with that male wolf. She did not necessarily understand such a bond, but it existed regardless of her capacity for understanding and she needed to both acknowledge and respect that fact. She assumed that it was probably crueler to keep the bird away from the other dire than to eat it and put it out of its misery. She could not do the latter, though; it was hardly a snack and she would be destroying a relationship without any true reason. She felt a twinge of regret tug at her heart the more she thought about this little bird and the dire. She lowered her head so that her face was closer to that of the bird. "You miss him a lot, don't you, little friend?" The bird obviously could not understand her words, but the look it gave her conveyed meaning as though it was responding to her. It was more than enough for her to release a heavy sigh before picking the poor, little bird back up in her jaws and retrace her steps back to the clearing. Surely, that other dire would have woken by now and was frantically searching for his little bird friend. Her pace quickened with the thought, for she did not want the other wolf to drift too far away from the clearing.
Luckily for her, he had not. She found him in the trees just several paces away from the clearing, searching with an almost panicked demeanor. As she watched him, she felt even worse. Her heart sank with the thought of confronting him, but she felt it necessary for her to correct her mistake. He had not seen her yet, but, judging by the fact that the bird's movements became more erratic the closer they came to the dire, the bird knew its friend was nearby. She did not need to drag this out any longer, despite how uncomfortable she felt. She spat the little blue bird out, and it quickly made its way to the male. She smiled. It was absolutely thrilled to see him.
Seika thought about fleeing while the two were distracted with their reunion. That way, she would not have to face the male dire. Her guilt prevented her from doing so, and she felt the need to apologize, so she stepped out into view, gaze fixed on the two. She did not say a word, for she did not want to intrude on them any more. She had done enough as it is.
► Word Count | 843 ◄
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 11:10 am
How could Valerian not have known what was in his own heart? Before the sudden disappearance of his feathered friend he considered the twittering little thing to be something of a pest. Something that matted and tangled his silky coat and stored birdseed in places it did not belong. He had become something of a study tree for this confused bluebird and that hadn't sat right with Valerian since the beginning of their relationship. Although it bothered the dire to no end he simply couldn't shoo away such a helpless creature. After nursing it back to health and spending weeks upon weeks trying to keep it's strength he realized just how moronic the poor thing actually was. To abandon it now would be comparable to ending it's life by his own paws. Val wouldn't be able to shake the guilt if it came down to that. He tolerated the bluebird, if not for his own selfish morality, but never did he believe that he actually cared enough to go into a full blown panic attack without it by his side. On his back rather. Perhaps his desperation for the company was truly what bothered the rogue wolf. Without something to look after and nurture, and occasionally complain about, he was left with his own unforgiving mind and a long history of bottled insecurities. Like hell he was going back to that miserable mindset. He needed to find this bird no matter what!
"Tweet tweet? There there little friend, where have you fluttered off to now?"
Valerian had forced his paws to set anchor in the grass. If he couldn't find the birdy with his attentive eyes perhaps he would have better luck listening to his surroundings. After all, this little friend of his had such a distinct call. Something he only heard briefly in the month of Spring. In a way it was sort of a blessing to have something so close to Valerian that reminded him of a gentle season. Something he would miss if he could never find it again. As the silver stud stood with his body as still as a statue he tuned into the sounds surrounding him. All seemed normal, just as it had when he shut his eyes for that nap.
Surprisingly, even when on full alert with his fluffy ears swiveling this way and that, the dire had not heard the soft crunch of grass under paw pads. A white wolf with dark accents contrasting her body seemed to float on air as she approached. Valerian was focusing so hard on one sense he hadn't been aware of the new smell Seika brought with her as she stood in the safety of the tree line.
The bluebird, no bigger than Valerian's paw began flicking it's beady black eyes from wolf to wolf. What was the point of being taken away only to be brought back? A change of heart so sudden couldn't be fathomed by such a teeny tiny mind. The feathery little being was content with the outcome none the less and began to hop its way towards Valerian before taking off by wing. He flew with such dramatic flare that he hadn't enough time to fan his tail feathers for a graceful stop and instead he had a ruff landing along the grey dire's spine. A few hairs were pulled out and it left the stud giving a sharp yip out of surprise, but he knew immediately what that familiar pinch of pain meant. A tsunami of happiness drenched Valerian and it showed by the smile spreading across his muzzle. Upon turning around to verify that his little twittering companion had returned he felt a sudden halt on their celebration. Out of the corner of his gaze he saw a wolf approaching. Her neck was draped in black cloth and black tuffs of fur hung in her face.
The wolf became rigid, suspecting that it had followed his little friend in hopes of an easy meal. Acting simply on his intuition the male turned his body to face this she-wolf completely. At least with his little birdy on his rump he would be possibly out of view from possibly hungry eyes. Ears began to draw flat against the steel hued fur on his head and the faintest hint of disapproval showed on his muzzle in the form of threatening wrinkles. Not quite a snarl but the tell tale of one. He was curious as to why she would walk out so openly to claim a snack though. There was an air about the dame and the expression she wore that slowly began to sooth Val's hostility. He had to remind himself that she had not posed a threat just yet, and the adrenaline must have still been coursing through his veins.
"Greetings, stranger..." he trailed off with a simple greeting. Words he wished to speak but hesitated on remained stuck in his throat. His sunny eyes continued to scan her behavior in case she was some sort of trickster.
Word Count: 838
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Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 5:06 am
She could not help but laugh to herself as the little blue bird ungracefully crashed into the other wolf, and the wolf startled in response. Not a moment later, a smile formed on her maw as she watched the two reunite. The male dire was just as thrilled to see the little blue bird as it was to see him. She also watch his smile quickly vanish from his maw when his gaze finally rested on her. His body language immediately became defensive, and she noticed the little blue bird disappear behind him as he squared up. His eyes were leveled with her and intently watching her every move. Then his lips pulled back, revealing sharp, slightly yellowed teeth. He was not a young wolf, then, afflicted with adolescent angst; meaning, he was not defensive for the sake of being defensive. He was genuinely concerned about the well-being of his little, feathered friend. She flicked her tail. He was probably so thrilled to see his friend again that he had not noticed the saliva that had been dripping off the little blue bird's feathers when he flew into the other dire.
Her smile shrunk into a grin. He spoke not too long afterward, that is, after his body relaxed and he became more wary as opposed to the defensive position he was in just moments earlier. She raised her eyebrows at him, chuckling. "Relax, boy," she teased, taking a few steps towards him. She did not even bother holding his gaze, simply approached with almost brazen ease. Perhaps she had gotten too comfortable with the fact that she could outrun any wolf. "If I wanted to make off with your little friend, believe me, I could have done so already." Although that was no lie, she wondered if she should tell him the full truth. For a moment, she considered it, but her guilty conscience had diminished in the short time between her return of the bird and their heartwarming reunion. However, Seika was not particularly in the mood for a confrontation, especially with a wolf who became so guarded at the mere sight of her; she, who was not more than the size of a large coyote and perhaps the least imposing wolf in all of Elys'raena.
She concluded that it was not the best idea to tell him of the events that transpired while he slept so soundly, at least not at the present time. "You were fast asleep for a while, and I did not want to disturb you, so I left you be. Your little blue bird friend was with you then, too" she began fabricating her alibi. She was as good a liar as she was a thief, so he would have to be some sort of deity to tell that she was lying. "I only came back once I heard all the commotion you made." There, that much of a lie was satisfactory. If one was telling a lie, he never wanted to over-explain. It was easier to tell a lie from a true statement when the lie became too detailed and precise. For some reason, the more detail in a lie, the less believable it became. Maybe it was because no one would tell that much detail when explaining his true whereabouts. A lie should be told no differently than the truth in order for it to be believed.
Seika could have left right then and there, had her curiosity not gotten the better of her. She knew better than to be too curious. More than once, she heard this archaic saying that 'curiosity killed the cat,' which always puzzled her as to why such a saying was still used when those who used it were, in fact, wolves; however, surely it had merit if it was still used from the times before Midnight. Even so, Seika could not help herself. "Tell me," she began, lowering herself to the ground and crossing her paws, tail swaying behind her with the gentle breeze. "How, exactly, does one befriend such a curious little creature? And, better yet, why?" She witnessed the strength of their relationship and felt the genuine love the two had for one another, whether or not either would admit it – although, surely she could not truly communicate with the bird to ask it, or else she would have done so already before returning it.
There must have been a story behind this relationship and why it was so strong. After all, it was rather unusual. This certainly did not seem like a symbiotic relationship in any way, as the bird definitely was not doing the male's otherwise sleek, glossy coat any favors. Perhaps a relationship did not need to have any physical benefits to be symbiotic. Perhaps the symbiosis was benefiting something deeper. Her eyes flickered with a more intense curiosity as she pondered the matter further, and her tail lashed as if to highlight that fact. "What's your story, sir?"
►Word Count | 829 ◄
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Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 10:41 am
Correct. Valerian had missed the hints of dire drool coating the blue bird's glossy plumage. The sheer excitement from reuniting with his feathered friend had masked any suggestion that he was once ensnared between powerful jaws. Oh, if he had only known that fun fact. The unbridled rage that would boil inside the male would have been catastrophic for Seika's health. While Val was lacking any advantages in a fight against brawn he made up for this with wit and pure luck. Even with his confidence and courage the wolf couldn't be certain of a victory. After all, he had very little experience in confrontation. The only time he would consider getting his paws dirty would be in a situation such as this when something he cared deeply for was at risk.
Something irreplaceable.
This steel wall he had put up in defense was dwindling in usefulness it seemed. This she-wolf dropped her guard in an almost degrading manner. As if Valerian was nothing more than a tree trunk planted in the soil. Seika behaved as though he wouldn't be able to lunge at her even if he desired to. The words that came from the stranger seemed lighter than air, coaxing Valerian's senses into a state of curiosity. She seemed neither on edge nor concerned with him. When their eyes disconnected it was as if the male dire had been given the okay to let the stiff hairs on his hackles fall back into place, creating a nice nesting area for his little blue bird once again. The tiny critter seemed to take notice of this as well and made quick of roosting in the fluff. How was he to remain calm at her next statement, though? If she had wanted to take off with the bluebird she could have, but then why had she not? Perhaps she was a virtuous soul who only wished to help a twittering creature find it's home. The thought brought hope to Valerian, but comfort had not washed over him yet.
"Boy? I can't say I've heard that in a long while, girl. All jokes aside, though, it makes me wonder why you haven't taken the little morsel as a snack when you had the chance." He was searching in the back of his mind for any gain she might have from sparing the perky little bluebird's life. Perhaps her heart was good and her intentions benign, much like his own had been when he had found the little twittering pest. However, most wolves weren't like him. In all his years of experience he had never found a selfless soul as open as himself. Time would show that many wolves had hidden agendas. This wasn't to say all secrets were malicious. He simply knew that not everything was as it seemed and it was that mystery that lead Val to a more social attitude instead of one that was defensive and closed off. Who was this girl and why had she spared the bird's life?
To the Dire's surprise, the she-wolf continued to lower her walls by plopping down in the crisp blades of grass this clearing had to offer. Was she intuitive or just that careless? None the less, Valerian took comfort in knowing she was probably the smallest sure he had ever come in contact with. Perhaps just over the cut off for what people would call disfigured. If she did attack it would probably only take a snap of his jaws to break such minuscule bones. From what he could gather she probably wandered off to far from her pack, or perhaps he had stumbled onto a territory unknowingly. After all, how could a wolf this meek and fragile looking survive as a rogue? The only reason Valerian had been thriving was thanks to his wit and his ambitions.
"You know, you ask a great deal of questions. All that chatter is going to wind up getting you into a good heap of trouble one day if you happen to flap your gums at the wrong stranger." His words were advising rather than laying down a threat. The last thing Valerian wanted was to give the other any reason to snag his little friend up and reconsider a free meal. "You're wanting to hear our story? Perhaps I might enlighten you on our history if you share something with me." With slight hesitation Valerian began to lower himself to the ground, grass tickling his underbelly as he rested down. It wasn't like he was comfortable enough to cozy up with the she-wolf. He kept his distance and made sure to lay just right so the bluebird was hidden from sight behind his broad shoulders and neck.
"Give me good reason to share our story with such a peculiar stranger." Better safe than sorry.
Word Count: 805
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2017 2:39 am
Approaching this male with a relaxed disposition was the correct choice, it seemed, for the tension in the male drained quickly. It was a safe choice for him, too, now that Seika was no longer interested in taking anything of his, not even the beads which had originally attracted her attention. She could not bring herself to purloin anything of his now, after her previous actions that led to this friendly encounter. Though he remained wary, he was not as guarded and cold as he was originally. She smiled as if to reassure him that she intended no harm, and she truly did not – not anymore, at least. For all of Seika’s faults and transgressions against others, she could sleep soundly at night knowing that she was not a malicious wolf. The same could not be said for others, and, so far, she had the fortune of not unknowingly straying into the jaws of any of that kind – or so she believed. Some whom she met left her with a sense of uneasiness and foreboding, like that one black and gold dire from the Northern Wood whom she met some time ago. There was something about that male which made her fur prickle, though she could not place exactly what was the cause. This silver dire before her, however, did not give her this feeling, and her instincts were quite sharp, enough for her relaxation to not be without merit. Though he could turn violent at any moment, Seika strongly felt that he would not. Like her, he was not a malicious wolf, either.
A light chuckle escaped her after his retort. “If you don’t want to be called ‘boy,’ I can call you by your name. My name is Seika,” she finally stated, tail swaying behind her as she waited for him to finish his comments about her behavior. “I’m not fond of feathers,” she replied simply. “’Little morsel’ is an overstatement, don’t you think? At best, that tiny thing would only stimulate my appetite rather than relieve it.” She observed him carefully, for she was rather vulnerable. If she was wrong about him – and she did not believe that she was – she was not prepared to defend herself, and even she would have trouble fleeing from this position. “Not that I’m hungry, mind you. I’m surprisingly well fed,” she added to ease any qualms the dire may have about her intentions, although her comment may raise other concerns.
She could see flashes of curiosity within his amber eyes as he scrutinized her. She could already guess his thoughts, as they were the thoughts almost everyone she met had when they saw her. How could a creature so small survive so well? She was not malnourished – on the contrary, she seemed to radiate with a kind of health rarely seen by most inhabitants of the world. She was obviously not strong, and was in no way a threat to anything larger than a fox. How could she possibly be taking such good care of herself? Her last comment only drew more attention to these facts about her. She found herself wondering if he would ask her about how she managed in this cruel world.
Seika shrugged after his warnings, a grimace forming on her face. “’Flap your gums,’” she repeated, laughing. “Such an unflattering image. I always thought my friendliness added to my charm,” she jested with another short laugh. She tilted her head at him, eyes boring into his as if searching their depths. “You do not seem like the wrong stranger. Of course, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong – I’d prefer to know now in order to avoid any trouble.” If only he knew that Seika thrived because of her knack to get herself into trouble, thought it seemed wise to would share that information at a later time. “I am rather inquisitive, though, aren’t I?” she mused. She knew that about herself, of course. It was only natural that someone of her intelligence would be so inquisitive when he had no other pressing concerns, such as finding food or shelter, both of which she had.
She felt even more at ease as he lowered himself to the ground with her. She was right about him after all. The distance he kept between them did not concern her; she understood his reservations. She was, indeed, unlike most wolves, and confounded many who had the pleasure – or displeasure – of meeting her. His offer caused her eyes to narrow, lips curling into a smirk. “Oooh, a tit for tat. Clever, clever.” She crossed her paws, toes gliding gently over the blades of grass. With a paw tapping the ground, she briefly considered his proposal. It was rare that Seika socialized without ulterior motives, and she could not deny that she was enjoying this interaction, despite its rough beginnings. “I’m sure your story is a riveting one; the question is do I have anything worth sharing that is equally enthralling?” Of course, she had plenty of tales of her own, but they were perhaps not the best stories to share. She could be deceptive and spin a tale as easily as she could tell the truth, but she was not an unfair wolf. If he was willing to be honest with her, she felt that she should be honest in return. “Alright, you win. I’ll indulge you with a story of my own. I'll even let you ask me a question if you find it unsatisfactory.”
“I’ll tell you how I got this shawl. I know it doesn’t sound very interesting, but bear with me. It’s a deeply personal story.” She pouted, trying to lighten up her mood before speaking on a topic which still caused her some heartache. “My father and mother came down from the north in search of a better life, a life my mother only got to taste. She passed away shortly after the birth of me and my siblings – although, I’m the only one of the litter who survived. My father was heartbroken, obviously, but did not give up. He tried to give me the best life possible and wanted to ensure that I survived when the rest of our family did not. He was still malnourished and unfit for hunting, and he was really an unsuccessful hunter who could not provide for my mother, so he turned to theft to provide for us. Even as he gained his strength, he still stole food simply because it was safer. He did not want anything to happen to him while I was still growing.
“We were very close, thick as thieves,” she laughed at her own joke. “I guess he was still not the healthiest wolf, though. I was older, but not quite an adult, when he fell ill. No amount of food I brought gave him strength. No cloth I wrapped him in could hide his deterioration.” She pawed at the shawl around her neck. “I brought this luxurious silk back to him one day, a texture with which he immediately fell in love. He laid on it till the day he passed. On that day, I ripped the cloth in two and tied one half around my father’s neck, and he tied this half around mine.” Seika's gaze fell to her shawl, a smile forming on her face. "I miss him."
After a few moments, she looked back up at the other dire. “I hope that story sufficed.”
►Word Count | 1,246 ◄
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