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 Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:37 pm
Absently, Kaila padded through the trees. The evening was a deep purple as it struggled past dusk, and an owl hooted somewhere nearby. She could feel a fine coat of drizzle on her back, but it didn't bother her. It was a light mist that she bearly felt, but was only aware of.
She paused for a moment to consider her options. The trees were thinning out sharply, and her current path was leadinig her down to a river. The water splashed past quickly, but it was water all the same. She hadn't paused for a drink in quite some time. It almost didn't feel safe.
She wasn't sure why she'd left, she didn't feel any animosity towards her pack, she had just felt it was time to move on. But as she moved further and further on her way, she realised she had no destination. Perhaps her destiny was to be alone? She hoped this was not the case, but it was a situation she was prepared for.
Quietly, as was her way, she approached the rushing water.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:22 pm
It had been nearly a year since he had come down here, out of the mountains. A year since they had set up home, tried to build a new pack in these lowland valleys. A whole pss of the seasons, but still he had not achieved his goals, not even come close to doing so, he thought.
Still, thats what he was doing now, wasn't it? He had to go out into the lands around the pack territory, go into the world and find those who needed him.
The small, androgenous wolf scanned his violet eyes along the riverbank. Dampness, drizzle. He cold barely see anything past the spray of fine misty rain and the churning water which came up to meet it. He could feel it, though. Something niggling at his mind. A scent perhaps?
His eyes sharpened, focused, and found the other wolf across the river from him. He really must have been distracted not to see her - young, dark but with bright, spiky patches of colour. Something familiar tugged at him but it was at the back of his mind and he couldn't yet draw it forward. It' come in time so he let it be.
"Hello?" he said across the water, not sure his voice would carry.
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 7:10 am
Sharply, Kaila looked up at the sound across the river. Instinctively, she flattened down, all her bright markings seeming to vanish underneath her in a heartbeat, leaving mostly darker fur exposed. Her gaze darted ahead, trying to find the owner of the mysterious voice that had drifted across the river.
Then she spotted him. She paused for a moment before relaxing, and letting her body rise upright again. She tilted her head slightly, trying to guage him. Surely, if he had meant her harm, he wouldn't have called out to her? However, she was acutely aware that she was a lone wolf, and she didn't know how many friends this other had with him.
She lifted her muzzle, sniffing at the air. She couldn't smell him, but the drizzle or the wind direction could easily account for that.
"What d'you want?" she called back. If it had been her she'd've just carried on, unnoticed. What had made him call out to her?
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 10:46 am
It was in situations like this where Kalain became aware that his social abilities didn't seem to be on par with those of other wolves. He never knew the right.... etiquette.
When she ducked down at his call he felt he had somehow made a stupid mistake again, and stood awkwardly, not sure what the 'right thing to do' was. He could hear Mu'sha's voice in his ear, mocking him. Gently, but still mocking.
He felt somewhat relieved when the young, dark female called back and the tip of his tail began to waggle of its own accord. He came up a little closer to the bank, peering across at her flattened form. What did he want? Well... nothing.
"I just wanted to say hello, to see if you were ok" he said, truthfully, letting his sense of right and wrong overwrite any sense of social unease he felt. Again, though, that sense of the familiar washed over him, tugging at his attention. Black, orange, spiky markings. It was almost clear to him, a fuzzy memory but close to recollection.
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 4:04 pm
"Oh..." she said, perhaps not intending her voice to carry. She took a step forward, a paw moving into the water. She wondered absently how deep the water was - this was the first wolf she'd seen for quite some time, and he seemed friendly enough. She wanted to say hello. Setting out forward she powered her way through the swirling water, feeling it cut through her fur where the drizzle hadn't set in yet. It reached her chest, but that was as high as it got. It also wasn't as strong as it looked, which was a pleasant surprise.
In swift time, she made it across to the other side to more easily converse with the male. She could smell him now, and that put her sightly more at ease. She wasn't usually one to be skittish, but these were unusual circumstances.
Propelling herself she bounced out of the water, bringing herself nearer and vigourously shook herself out, spraying droplets out in all directions. Suddenly, she paused, realising she must have shaken a river's-worth of water out all over the other wolf. "Oh, I'm sorry!"
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:16 am
Kalain smiled as she came across - despite the torrent of dark swirling water - though he had certainly not been expecting the subsequent cold bath.
He gave her a soft smile as she turned to him. "Don't worry about it, I don't think I could be any more wet than I was before." He gave a soft shivering shake of his own coat, floofing up even more than its usual thickness and shedding a little of the excess water.
Fat drops continued to drop from the sky, however, and he glanced towards the treeline and back. "We could go under the trees, it'll be a little drier" he suggested. She was here now, he assumed she would stay for a while - why not after crossing a river to say hello?
Black and orange, and now her smell, lightly tingling, pulling a memory forward.
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:28 am
"Sure," Kaila agreed, flicking her tail out in an attempt to shed a little more water. Not that it mattered, she was now entirely drenched, and she could swear the rain was starting to fall more heavily. Any shelter would be welcome at this point. "Although I don't really know how much more wet I can get," she added with a slight chuckle, her tail swinging contentedly a little. Now that she was face to face with the other, so to speak, she was a little more at ease. She was able to read him a little better, and was less concerned about any ill intentions he may have. From across the water all she could've done was guess. But upon closer scrutiny, she sensed he was nothing but sincere. And that worked for her.
Absently she started for the treeline, her tail swinging contentedly behind her as she meandered along, assuming Kalain would follow.
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:26 pm
Kalain did follow, his claws grasping tightly against the slippery river-side rocks in an effort not to fall over. He felt the cessation of the raid as they came under the protection of the trees - dense pines which didn't give way to mere drops of rain. It was as he came under their outstretched boughs when the memory came to him, smacking into his consciousness with the violence of a long-buried memory which has suddenly become vitally important.
"Your mother, she was orange and black?" he blurted, not considering the effect this odd outburst might have on the young female.
He remembered now, a clearing, a young female giving birth and a silent agreement they had made on that day. That was just before Mu'sha had found him - barely a day had passed between them, in fact. He wondered if there was some form of thread between himself and that female, her family.
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:18 pm
The other wolf's outburst made her chuckle a little. It seemed like such a ridiculous question at first. However, she quickly composed herself to reply. "Yes, and she still is. Maia." She supplied her mother's name, imagining that would be the next question off the other's lips. "Why? Did you know her?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:08 am
Kalain wondered, at first, if he had made one of his usual faux pas in asking about her mother - her laugh made him slightly nervous in its suddeness but her compusure thereafter brought him safely away from that worry.
"I..." he paused. He may not have been the most socially ept of wolves when it came to the nicities of polite wolf society but he was not sure whether there was an issue of trust here when it came to telling this young female about his past interactions with her mother. He did not like to lie, though, so he did not... but he decided to leave out the detail which was not his to give.
"I met her when she was birthing her pups. At a reasonable guess your birth.." he smiled, having figured this must be so when he had figured out who her mother must be - there wasn't enough time for the orange an black female he had met to have had another litter and them to be this age.
Still, the young female was here, on her own, no mother in sight. "Your mother is well? Your siblings?" he desperately wanted it to be so and the lack of pain as she spoke of her mother indicated no sadness which would have worried him - he was empathetic, if not so good at showing or reacting to it.
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:55 pm
"Whoa," Kaila exclaimed, sounded a little impressed. "You were there when I was born? Does that makes us... y'know, related or anything?" It was, of course, a silly question. The teen was, however, prone to such outbursts, not always the best at keeping a handle on what came out of her mouth. Instantly realising how silly it sounded, she glanced to one side.
"Oh, yeah. My mother's fine," she continued, bringing her gaze back up as she sat, anticipating this to be a lengthy conversation. "As are the terrible troupe. I left not long ago, and hopefully nobody's gotten themselves into any trouble since I did."
"What about you? How come you're out here alone...?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:09 am
Kalain rather liked the idea of having some sort of relationship with those whose births he had attended and helped with - indeed he had often felt somehow attatched to those he had helped bring into the world through some difficulties. He smiled on seeing her sudden reticence at having said so, though. Her exuberance was pleasant to him - something that reminded him of Saturne a little.
"I'm glad to hear your family is well" he said, pausing momentarily to scratch a small itch which turned out to be a pine needle which had fallen onto his shoulder. "I am out here because I'm trying to help others." he said simply. He didn't like to overplay this fact and the saying of it made him feel a twinge of embarassment, like a pup telling an adult how good a hunter he would be some day! but, nevertheless, that was why he was out here.
Still... "I'm not too far alone, anyway, my pack is about a days walk from here, maybe less if you're going a little faster than I tend to". He smiled self deprecatingly, tilting his head to one side. "You decided to adventure alone or was there some other reason for your leaving?" he asked, turning the conversation away from himself again.
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Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 3:37 pm
"Helping people? How? Like if they get lost or something?" Kaila couldn't help but be slightly confused, how else could you help people by wandering the wilderness - it wasn't like you knew there'd be anyone there to help at all. The whole concept confused her a little, and maybe it showed on her face.
"Hmm..." she continued as he asked her why she was out here alone. Truth be told, she wasn't sure why. No doubt her mother and the rest of her pack thought she had some negative reason for leaving, but this just wasn't the case. "I supposed I just needed to try something... by myself." She paused. "Not very informative, I know. But I guess I don't really know why I left. I don't even think I really had a reason. Crazy, huh?"
She sighed slightly, swishing her tail behind her, moving the damp foliage underneath as she considered her position. She was out her, a lone wolf, one of the more dangerous things to be. She had already given up warmth, love and security because of a reason she couldn't even put into words. It suddenly struck her how stupid she'd been. She may have been a little restless and unsettled, but at least she had had a pack who looked out for her. Now what did she have? Not a heck of a lot. She couldn't help but frown slightly in mild consternation.
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:28 am
He considered for a moment, looking off into the damp, water-dark forest. "Yes, those who are lost..." his voice trailed off slightly, distracted by his thoughts. Snapping out of it a moment later he nodded more affirmatively. "You'd be surprised at the number of people who need a little help here and there to ease their travels".
"I don't think it's crazy, either, to want to strike out on your own - I think most dream of doing so at least once and for others it is a lifelong passtime." He grinned a little, knowing that he had changed in this respect - he had always considered himself a wolf who liked to stay within the confines of his pack, his home, but he was getting used, now, to wandering. There was something soothing about it and it left more time to think, to evaluate.
Seeing the young female's slightly worried look gave him pause. "You didn't tell me your name" he prompted, hoping to make her open up a little more. She seemed interesting, lively, but also seemed as though she might have bitten off a bit more than she could chew, at such a young age. Maybe not, maybe she just needed time to grow into her new abilities.
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:15 am
"Oh, my name? It's Kaila." She perked up slightly, glad to get away from the subject of loss and abandonment. She needed something cheerier to discuss right now. "And you really don't think I'm crazy?" She looked down thoughtfully. "Because I think I'm pretty crazy."
She paused after speaking, but shook it off. "How about you? What's your name?" She was suddenly curious about this wolf who claimed to know her mother. "And how come... if we've met... Or at least, if you were there when I was born... How come I don't know you? Didn't you stick around after?"
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